Life is a Blessing

By Tracy McCoy

I am not a farmer or even a farmer’s wife. I can barely keep things alive so I don’t have a green thumb. I say I am not a farmer but I am a descendant of farmers. In researching my ancestry I learned through census records that my heritage is farming. While I thought maybe I’d find some great wealth or royalty, instead I found something much greater. Farmers have integrity and servant hearts. They respect the land, others and they feed the world.

Now, I grew up living in Michigan. My dad was a native of Rabun County, the oldest of 13 children born and raised in the Warwoman community. When you were feeding that many kids in the 30s and 40s, you were a farmer whether you wanted to be or not. Most families had a milk cow, a couple head of cattle, a couple of hogs, a mule for farming, a barn, and fields. Seed were shared between families and kept from the crops each year for the next year. My dad did have the green thumb and knew how to grow a garden. Up north people have what we’d call today hobby gardens. Not us, we had 10 rows of corn, 8 rows of potatoes, 5 rows of green beans, 4 rows of tomatoes, 3 rows of yellow squash, and a couple rows of onions and peas. I have a sister that is 6 years older than I am and she always followed directions much better than I did. My daddy was very particular about his garden. The rows had to be straight and everything had to be done just right. So while she worked behind our dad, I had another very important job.

My dad knew our strengths, Patty was very good with a hoe and I could sing. Not necessarily well, but loud. So with the rows being what seemed like a half mile long I’d stand at one end with a glass of ice water and I’d sing for my dad.

He said it helped him work and helped the plants. My sister did not believe it helped anything and would glare at me as sweat rolled off her brow, but deep down I knew that it was because I could sing and she couldn’t. I’d sing hymns that we learned at Church. The “garden concert” included The Old Rugged Cross, When the Roll is Called up Yonder, What a Friend we have in Jesus and How Great Thou Art. Daddy must have been right about the plants liking it, cause we sure did have a great garden. As I got a little older I learned how to pick up taters, pull onions, pick tomatoes and squash. I always loved the cool dirt between my toes and a fresh tomato. I’d eat it like an apple.

Fast forward four decades and I am helping in my in-laws garden. My father-in-law could have written the Farmer’s Almanac. He is the gardener in the family. My mother-in-law loves the garden and to watch things grow and she knows about as much as he does. She is famous for her creamed sweet corn. So this year when we started I said “Do you want me to lay off the rows?” the answer was “no, you have to do it just right.” “Ok, well what is my job?”, I asked. “I can sing…” they politely asked me not to. My husband said “Tracy you drop the seed.” with this came specific instructions to the fraction on how far apart they should be. With a small brown paper sack in hand and a bucket of fertilizer I started down the first row. As I worked I thought about the planting process, the work of a farmer and how it relates to our Christian life.

A farmer prays over his fields, prepares the soil, plants the seed, covers them with dirt and more prayers. The farmer then pends on sunshine, rain and the favor of our Creator to do the rest. He doesn’t walk away once the plants begin to grow. He tends them until harvest. As believers we are all part of the body of Christ and we all have a job. Some prepare the soil through prayer and example. We’ve all seen that person that we see Jesus in. They create a desire for a closer walk with the Lord. Then there are the seed droppers, like me. They share through the written word and stories they tell, seed droppers try to plant a seed by the way they live their life and their testimony. Not because they are great but because He is. We are planting seeds everyday through out words, our actions and our example. We can plant seeds of love, kindness, grace and mercy or we can sow seeds of hate, anger, judgement and division. The choice is ours every morning when we open our eyes. We are not going to be perfect but if you call yourself a Christian, we are to follow the example of Christ.

When I started down the row with my paper sack filled with corn and bucket of fertilizer I had been equipped to sow seed, God has equipped us through the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us, the Bible that teaches us and His abundant Grace. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” He has equipped us for the work He gives us to do.

Sometimes sharing our faith is scary, we are not sure how it’ll go. Many a time I’ve had a little Jonah in me and wanted to run the other way. Then God reminds me what happened to Jonah when he was called to action and he didn’t go. Now I know there are no whales in northeast Georgia, but the whales that swalllow us come in many forms. I know in my heart that if I’ll take the first step, Jesus will come alongside me or even go before me and I have no reason to fear.

When Jesus had risen from the dead and was speaking for the last time face to face with his disciples. He tasked them with being stewards of the gospel and in Matthew 28:19-20 this is what he said. “Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are modern day disciples and Jesus has made us stewards of His grace, he wants us to share his story and plant those seeds. He will cover them and He will harvest them… just be a seed dropper. You are equipped and He will go with you.