I was raised on a farm on which we raised hogs and cattle. Our main crops were corn and soybeans, though we usually also sowed a few acres of wheat each year. With my first twenty years of life having been spent on the farm, I have a lot of memories. Here are some things that I learned and remember well from "way back when." Some of these experiences, or similar ones, may sound familiar to you.

On the farm I learned that Work Comes Before Play. It was simply a case of first things first. That approach to things helped even know-it-all kids like me learn the benefit of self-discipline and getting the stuff that really mattered done first. Members of the church of the 21^st century know how to play up a storm, but do we put His work above play and pleasure? Are we not instructed to abound in the Master’s work? (1 Corinthians 15:58).

On the farm I learned that "Somebody’s Gotta Do It." On the farm there were, shall we say, some less than desirable chores. Some tasks were just plain no fun at all, but, if they were going to get done, somebody had to do them. In the Lord’s Cause, there is a bunch of work to be done. A great deal of it goes on behind the scenes. Serving others out of love, which all saints are to do (Galatians 5:13), can require the performance of some menial tasks. But, just like on the farm, somebody’s gotta do it. In the Lord’s work, no one is "too good" to lend a helping hand.

On the farm I learned that the old saying, "Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch," really is true. Those eggs could look so promising, but a lot can happen before the chick actually hatches. The same is true about row crops. It might be called "the best lookin’ corn crop we’ve ever had," but a lack of rain or a hailstorm can ruin what looked so promising. Jesus taught that the first shall be last and the last shall be first (Matthew 20:16). Some of those that look so promising in the Kingdom turn out to be betrayers, like Judas was. There is, as they say, no "sure bet" when it comes to picking out which young people are going to turn out to be the church’s most faithful workers in the future.

On the farm I learned that Sweatin’ Probably Never Killed Anyone. Farmers know all about hard work. They know the toil and sweat that farm work requires. In the Lord’s work, there are some tasks that involve the kind of work that produces perspiration (that is the city word for "sweat"). Like Nehemiah and his fellow Jews that rebuilt Jerusalem’s wall, today all of us need to have a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). The harvest is plenteous and the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37). Let us all be ready to work for Him, even if we have to do some sweatin’ in the process. It won’t kill us.

On the farm I learned that The Prettiest Tractors Don’t Always Produce The Best Crops. Each farmer has his preference of tractors, but whether it was International red, John Deere green, or Allis-Chalmers orange, a brand new or cleaned-up tractor was a mighty pretty sight to those of us that grew up in the country. And, yet, having a good-looking machine was no guarantee that you would have good crops. So it is in the spiritual realm. Boys, just because that young woman has a pretty face, that does not mean that she has a desirable character. Real beauty is the beauty of the heart (1 Peter 3:3,4). Churches "feel proud" when they have a good-looking meeting place, and there is nothing wrong with that. But, having a nice-looking facility is no guarantee that we will bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) or get more sinners to repent and obey Jesus (Acts 2:38).

On the farm I learned that Not Having As Much As Other People Doesn’t Mean That You Are A Lower Quality Person. I grew up two decades after the Great Depression, so I was not raised in poverty. However, we had less than some of the other farmers in our area, though we may not have noticed it at the time. How we all need to see that a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of things that he possesses (Luke 12:15) Material things to do not make a man or woman anymore special than those people who do not have as many of them. We will be judged by our personal deeds, not by our bank accounts and possessions (Romans 2:6).

On the farm I learned that Animals Don’t Seem To Smell So Bad If You Are The One That Gets The Money When They Are Sold. When we would pass a hog farm or cattle farm, my dad would often say, "Smells like someone is making money." City folks usually find such an aroma disgusting. But, when the livestock was yours, and you got the money when they were sold, well, the smell did not seem to be all that bad. In the church, we may be inclined to quickly write off another person, counting him/her as a hopeless cause, while at the same time, we tend to have more patience with those to whom we are really close. Why? Maybe because we see the potential in them. Each member of the body is important to the Lord and to the local church (1 Corinthians 12:14-26).

On the farm I learned that Just Wishing The Rocks Would Get Out Of The Field Didn’t Get Rid Of Them. Rocks left in the field can ruin plows, disks, planters, or hay balers. I hated picking up rocks and throwing them into a loader. But, it was a job that really needed to be done. And, just wishing the rocks away did not make them go away. Again, in the church there are a lot of things that need to be done. Someone has to do them, or they remain undone. Are you a real helper in the Lord’s Cause?

On the farm I learned that It’s Better To Try And Tame An Animal When It’s Still Young Rather Than Wait Until It Gets Big. When that sheep, hog, or steer is already grown, forget about taming him. It will not happen. In the same way, God surely knew what He was talking about when He told dads to "bring up" their kids in His nurture and admonition (Ephesians 6:4). Timothy was blessed in that he knew the Bible from his childhood (2 Timothy 3:15). Proverbs 19:18 says to chasten a child "while there is hope." Many parents have learned a sad lesson the hard way: wait until that boy is 16-years old, and then begin to discipline him, and you will have a genuine lost cause on your hands.

On the farm I learned that Doing A Job As Quickly As Possible Does Not Always Produce The Best Results. Hurrying with that bucket of feed for the cattle just might result in spilling it all over the ground. Then you have a big mess to clean up and more work to do than when you started. Opening up the throttle on the tractor and speeding down the row of corn with the cultivator may get the job done sooner, but you can be assured that you will tear out and ruin a whole lot more corn that way. Yes, on the farm you can readily see how "haste makes waste." We sometimes see this in the church. A congregation is in such a hurry to appoint elders that it makes the mistake of hurrying into it, only to regret afterwards that it did not take its time. Faithful elders are not produced overnight (Titus 1:5-9).

This is not my usual type of article. You and I know that. I hope, though, that some of my reminiscing just might help us pay attention to some important spiritual truths.

-- Roger D. Campbell