Spiritual Lessons from Working on a Farm (part 2 of 3)

Over the past six months, I have had the privilege of working four hours a week at a local, organic elderberry and blueberry farm. I wanted to do this for two reasons. First, through our homeschool connection, the owner expressed to me that he could use the help. Secondly, because the Bible are filled with agricultural imagery, I wanted to connect with that imagery by experiencing farming myself. So, what have I learned about the farming imagery in the Bible in relation to the spiritual life so far? Here are two more, of six total, lessons I want to share with you.

God was satisfied and pleased by His creative and hard work in the creating world. Hard work on the farm is very satisfying too.

Five times in Genesis chapter one, God said, “and God saw what He had made and said it was good.” Then, when He made man and women, the crown jewel of His creation, He said it was “very good.” Additionally, in the same chapter, it says in verse 27 that humans were made in “God’s image.” Theologian Wayne Grudem gives us a good, short definition of this very important term in the Bible saying, “to be in God’s image means to be like God and to represent God on the earth.” In other words, as God worked hard in creating the earth, we too are to work hard and create things on earth – such as farms. Also, as God stepped back at the end of the day and looked at what He has made, He said, “it was good.” Among other things, this is clearly a statement of good pride and satisfaction in His work.

Since working on the farm, I too have enjoyed the sense of good pride and satisfaction “at the end of the day” when I see the fruit of my hard work. God designed it to be this way from generation to generation. It is healthy for us, and a wonderful way to enrich our relationship with God as we live as image bearers.

Harvest Time – a time to see the fruit of the farmer’s labor, God’s good providence on the farmer and to share the harvest with others.

Some of you who live in Louisiana know that June is blueberry season. It is a sadly short, 4-5 week season of beautiful, deep blue color and deliciousness! The word “harvest” is used about 60x in the Bible. It is used either to refer to a physical crop at harvest time each year or spiritually, it’s used as a metaphor for gathering people into God’s kingdom through the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the farming context, the harvest was a symbol of God’s provision and blessing to His people, His image bearers on earth. God designed farming to be intended to be used for three reasons: (1) sustenance for the farmer and his family (2) commerce – so that buying and selling of the harvest would produce a heathy economy for the community and (3) God’s glory – a way to celebrate God and worship Him as the creator and sustainer of all life.

As I write this blog, it is still June – harvest time. It has been wonderful to enjoy seeing our hard work over the past five months “pay off” in plenteous amounts of beautiful blueberry forming and ready to be picked. It has been wonderful to enjoy reflecting on God’s good providence over the farm. Providence is a theological term that describes just how active God is in the world in maintaining it 24/7. I sure have learned just how much the farmer is dependent on God for a crop and the quality of the crop each year. Finally, it has been wonderful to see how the owners of the farm invite people to come out and enjoy picking the blueberries – then drive off being blessed with a beautiful, organic fruit to be used in pies, smoothies and simply eaten by the handful.

My favorite verse in the Bible certainly applies here – whether you eat [blueberries], drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).