And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30 KJV
When I was a young man, I would sometimes work for various farmers during haying season. Though putting up hay was hard work, and the pay (2¢ a bale) was not much, I loved the challenge of loading those 75 lbs. square bales as fast as we could up on the truck. By the time we reached the second level, I was barely able to lift the bales up higher, so the bigger men asked me to stand up on top and stack. Then they gleefully threw the bales up as hard as they could, seeing if they could knock me over! Making a game of it, transformed our backbreaking work into great fun and it seemed as if time flew as the stack grew higher and higher. Once we reached the sixth tier, the driver would head for the barn, and I, seated like a king on his throne, would surveil my kingdom from on high. As the slight breeze from the movement of the truck cooled the sweat from my arms, I could look out over the hayfield and see thousands of tiny wildflowers, now revealed, which had been hidden by the tall grass, before the mowing. The aroma of those flowers along with that of the freshly mown hay smelled better than the priciest perfumes at the store and they remind me of today’s verse. Jesus told us that since not even Solomon was dressed in finer clothing than that field, that we should not worry, because God would clothe us as well. Then, I think of the cross, where our Lord Jesus was stripped and nailed naked to its wooden beams, while the soldiers gambled for his clothing. Then, as the blood flowed down onto the ground, Jesus paid the price for your sins and for mine, and purchased for us robes of righteousness, so that we could be clothed in heaven. There we will be dressed as He is in clothing that shines brighter than the sun and with an aroma sweeter than the freshly mown hayfields of earth. There we will be clothed, not because of our hard work in God’s harvest field, but because of the amazing grace of Jesus, who bought our salvation with His own precious blood.
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Many times, I helped my grandpa with bailing hay, picking corn & moving cattle. Looking back, I realize how he was not only teaching me a good work ethic, but also about taking care of those you love & trusting God for the results.
God has taught me some of the best lessons of life either in the garden our out in the fields.
Your post brought back many memories of growing up on a farm. I learned so many life lessons in those years. So much of our livelihood was dependent on things we could not control like the weather. Each spring we planted with faith in God’s provision for a harvest in the fall.
Your experience is far deeper than mine, as I just worked for farmers, but those lessons God taught me then are still with me 50 years later.
Excellent post. I was asked by a local farmer to help stack hay bales when I was 12. Even though I was strong, I soon succumbed to a massive allergy attack that left me a coughing, sneezing, runny-nosed mess. I had to quit, my eyes were swollen shut and itching.
I sheepishly told the farmer that I had to go home. He looked at me and nodded, seeing I was in distress. I had only carried about three bales, hardly a days work.
As I sat at home an hour later there was a knock at the door. Dad answered and it was the farmer, there to pay me $15 for my efforts.
I’ve never felt more guilty taking money, knowing that I had barely been able to earn it. But he insisted I take it and thanked me for helping him.
We can’t do what it takes to make it to heaven on our own. Jesus did all the work to get us there. But one day He will pay us back for working for Him here on earth…and I will probably feel the same way I did so long ago…hardly feeling worthy of any payment.
Thanks for this post, you stirred my remembrance and my gratitude for the hard work of Christ.
Thanks for commenting. It is so awesome how your farmer friend showed you grace. My memories are from 1972, which was another world, but I am glad these old thoughts were an encouragement today.
My memories are from 1994, also another world!😂
God bless and have a great day!
What a wonderful post! Thank you and God bless you, Pastor Pete!
It’s amazing how our experiences, stories and memories add flower petals to Gods amazing truths and our understandings. I remember the 2 cents a bale work. Dad had converted an old bus (cut the back off behind the drivers seat down to the frame and planked the frame with full 2x white oak planks) into what we called a “bale wagon”. The record was 200 square bales put on that monster and nobody dared ride on top. We also moved not so small buildings down the highway with it. I remember riding on the peak of a building with a v’d stick to push the highline wires over the building as it was too high…what could have gone wrong??
Amazing Grace in a world gone very wrong
Haha…yes what could go wrong with lots of what we did…and yet here we are remembering the stories. Amazing grace indeed!