"The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods." Psalm 24:1, KJV
There is so much that the Lord has to offer in the promise of spring- it is this time of year I am reminded of His omniscience, faithfulness, perfect timing. All things, in His time, in His way.
As we welcomed truckloads of woodchips to the farm, we were reminded of all our past experience healing sterile clay soils, improving drainage, and how the Lord taught us through those experiences. Cutting corners rarely is successful in nature. God has built in processes, timetables, seasons into every facet of His creation. When we manipulate even the smallest aspect of a natural process, we risk fighting against nature- against the Creator and Sustainer of nature Himself! And yet, our tendency is to shorten, abbreviate, increase, speed up, move along, rush ahead and completely forget the One who sustains all things by the word of His power! (Hebrews 1:3).
Our goal on this farm is to steward it well, to work with our Creator and His natural processes, to regenerate, restore, rebuild, redeem what has been lost to neglect or ruin, and to give all glory and honor to our Father in Heaven who has planted us here in this place.
In each baby bunny, in the fullness of a pregnant dairy doe, in the lushness of maintained and regenerated pastures, in the whimsical quack and waddle of a duckling, the eggsong of a laying hen, in the caress of the spring wind, in the warmth of the sun-kissed soil on bare feet, in the unrestrained, joy-filled giggles of children playing in the yard- I am reminded that the earth is the Lord's. All of it, every component functioning together in harmony is sustained by the word of His power. Our success in any endeavor is owed to paying attention to the way He does things in nature, and leveraging that stewardship he has blessedly given into our hands.
What a beautiful gift is the springtime! What joy the season holds!