The grain bag was almost empty, so I reached deeply into the dark bag to get a scoop for my chickens… Suddenly something scurried up my arm sleeve! You would have thought an anaconda was in my shirt the way I jumped and screamed! Within 10 seconds a mouse jumped right out of the top of my shirt! I’m surprised we didn’t both roll over and die right there!
People love farms. I think it’s inborn. You know an innate desire deep within for “that” farm- where the grass is always green, the animals are always content and luscious organic food grows effortlessly.
Ahhh… but what people don’t see is what it takes to make “that” farm.
A diligent farmer never, ever goes a single day without working and laboring by the sweat of his brow on behalf of the farm. You have to fight for it. YOU DO! You protect its borders, maintain the fences… love and cherish it, in sickness and in health- till death do you part.
Only a farmer with this mentally has “that” beautiful, “magical” farm.
You must be willing to fight predators single handedly who come to steal, kill and destroy; like snakes eating our breakfast, foxes dragging off the chickens, or coyote’s stealing our newborn kids (baby goats).
The work doesn’t stop there. There’s poop to scoop, fields to mow, poisonous vines to annihilate, goats to milk in 0-100 degree temperatures. . . Left unattended for just a short while and you wouldn’t want the farm!
People love looking at our goats, chickens, and turkeys strutting about the farm. They love watching the fireflies dance about over the open field at night… roaming the nature paths… With dreamy eyes many say to me, “Oh this place is magical! I want a farm, just like it.” I smile and nod, thinking to myself, if they only knew the labor. Would they really want it?
A good marriage is just like a good farm.
People love good marriages, it’s innate. Everyone desires “true love.” Oh, it’s breathtaking. People flock to movies to see a powerful love story about a couple who would do anything for love. They sit with popcorn in hand, tears streaming and wish their love story was “that” one.
Just like a farm, marriages have predators that threaten “true love.” You know what I’m talking about… Something or someone that seeks to destroy you and/or devour your marriage. You’ve got to FIGHT for your marriage! YOU DO! Protect the borders. Maintain the fences. Love and cherish it in sickness and in health- till death do you part.
The work doesn’t stop there. There’s stinky messes to clean, poisonous vines (words that destroy) to annihilate… love to be lavished sacrificially. . .left unattended for one season and you wouldn’t want the marriage.
Yep… There are moments that I don’t want to farm anymore; like when a mouse runs up my sleeve and out the top of my shirt. I’m finished, I am! But in the grand scheme of things a mouse in my shirt is the very least of the costs of having “that” farm. Some things you just got to get over no matter how unnerving and press on toward the prize of the high calling.
A good marriage is like a good farm. It is a work in process that can never be left unattended- not even for one day. Luscious fruit doesn’t grow effortlessly. You’ve got fight for it. YOU DO.
I always dreamt of living on a farm. Never, ever did I think it would be so hard. But we’ve got “that” farm- where the grass is green and the animals are content. Actually, it is magical to live here but we work hard at it.
Our marriage is magical too, but we work really hard at it.
Gen 3:18-19
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground…”
Gen 2:22-24 “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Edward when he was born.
Edward our French Alpine buck. He’s famous on The Glasgow Farm.
Sparky and chickens
Yep a black snake in the chicken coop- eating our breakfast! He never came back for another egg after this day.
A content animal.
Every night before dusk we have to put the Turkey’s in their house or the foxes come looking for them.
Trolly unloading people onto our farm for a wedding- 2 hours before they arrived. Edward knocked down his fence that led straight to where the trolly is parked. Dale worked hard to mend the fence before 200 people arrived!
Ground hogs. Every year Dale secures the garden. He built a wooden fence to the ground with chicken wire around it. They’ve dug under, climbed over. . . I’ve turned around while weeding before and seen one looking me straight in the eyes! You’ve got to fight for your garden! They love anything with blossoms, especially zucchini, cucumbers and squash.
Deer jump over and foxes crawl under fences to get to what they want- it’s up to us to protect within our border.