As a boy I never shared my father’s   enthusiasm for the soil. For several summers he had a little plot of ground in the country where he planted a garden. It provided physical therapy and relaxation for him, as well as a bountifully laden table for family and friends.

Back then a hand pushed plough was used to break up the ground, so the initial ploughing was often difficult. I remember helping my dad load his cultivator into the car one day and going with him to his garden. When we arrived he prepared to make the first furrow while I took the lunch basket and picked a comfortable seat under the shade of an apple tree.

I was totally unsuspecting as I observed my father attach a rope to both handles of the cultivator and make a harness. Soon an unwilling boy was in front of that plough. Dad pushed and I pulled—and grumbled. Up one row and down another—over and over again. How miserable I was doing my duty!

Sometimes when we’re asked to serve the Lord in a particular way, we reluctantly accept, but we do so only out of a sense of obligation. When that happens we need to pray for a willing spirit so that we can “serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2).

Author

Paul Van Gorder

Topics

Our Daily Bread