Read: James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
I grew up on a farm and my family will attest I did not like it. I promised my mother I would never marry a farmer. I didn’t like caring for farm animals (they were dirty and smelly), and I was too skinny so I shouldn’t have to lug a bale of hay into the barn – they are heavy! And I did not like milk straight from the cow, with chocolate syrup or without! Oh my goodness, I could go on and on but I will spare you the long list of “reasons”.
Now that I am older, I have an appreciation for farming. I understand how hard farmers work to provide food for us. I look back on the harvest season when we would shuck peas from the pod and my mom would can vegetables for the winter or make homemade pickles. The house smelled amazing! So why did I dislike farming when I was younger? It was hard work, I didn’t think I was capable of the task in front of me, and I certainly wasn’t patient.
As James mentions, life is a lot like farming. It is hard work! We are so focused on the difficulties and are impatient to wait for life to get better. We forget to appreciate the gift of life God has given us and the work He has for us to do while we are on the earth. The cool part is, when we recognize the gifts each one of us has received from Him, life looks different. We are eager to get to work to build His kingdom. We relish in the moment when someone accepts Christ. We stand firm against the evil forces in this world because we know a valuable crop is going to be ready to harvest soon.
