Farmers' mindset
Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy .He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6
Throughout the Bible, farming is a common metaphor and motif of the Christian faith. In the modern world, most of us are not involved in agriculture, and people in cities are not easily able to engage in the whole farming cycle. Twelve years ago, I joined the Hong Kong government's "community garden program" and was allotted a 1 meter X 1 meter plot for 18 weeks.
It was hard work, but it was a rewarding experience and I gained a better understanding of what a farming cycle looks like as a city girl. My first step was to go to a shop in Sheung Wan that sold seeds and inquire about their advice, and the owner recommended organic fertiliser (which is animal poo), while the majority of people use peanut meal as a cheaper fertilizer.
I later noticed that my soil was darker and my crops grew much more robust than their other fields, despite the fact that the organic fertiliser was more expensive and messy to mix with the soil. After loosing the soil and mixing the fertiliser, the next step was to sow. As the seeds were so small, I asked others, "did I really sow or what?" Their response was "yes, you have sown and done your part; now, you just need to wait and tend to the crops. '' Over the next few weeks, I saw the crops grow and tackled the weeds by hand weekly.
While harvesting leafy vegetables, it was raining, I wore a raincoat and collected the harvest. It was time consuming and I had to cut the roots and stems off the vegetables. In the end, it was still rewarding. I had a lot of vegetables to share with my family and friends. I definitely rejoiced when I reaped the benefits!
As a result of my experience, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of sowing in good soil, nurturing with patience, and harvesting with hard work. We are spiritual farmers in God's kingdom because we are bound to these principles of spiritual farming. Our lives are tied to what we sow and reap, like those of a professional farmer. Consequently, it is crucial to adopt a farmer's mindset regarding the word of God, evangelizing and discipling others, and walking in faith.
Farming requires hard work, dedication, and patience. (James 5:7), we are called to wait patiently between sowing and reaping, even though we sow in tears, we will reap in joy!
Blessing prayer: Give us patience and endurance during waiting. May we remain steadfast in faith and receive abundant spiritual harvests. In Jesus’ name, Amen
