Tribute To A Farmer

_My dad, Mark Mikels, pastor of [Sonlife Community Church][1] wrote these words as a tribute to my grandpa, his father-in-law._

[1]: http://www.sonlifecommunitychurch.com

# Tribute To A Farmer #

God must surely have a special place in his heart (and in His Kingdom) for farmers!

He placed the first man in a Garden and told him to tend it and be nourished by it. He himself sought daily fellowship with that first farmer, in the cool of the evening after each day’s work was done.

God’s own Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus himself, expressed many of his life-giving teachings in words borrowed from a farmer’s vocabulary—the sower, the shepherd, the vinedresser, the harvester.

You see… a farmer just intuitively understands and almost unconsciously demonstrates a lot of things that many of the rest of us take a lifetime to learn.

A farmer understands that “he’s got to make hay while the sun shines” … there’s no such thing as a successful lazy farmer. Farmers understand that there’s a part of the work that is theirs and theirs alone to do; and if they don’t do that part, there will be no harvest … You can’t just sit around and expect the field to get plowed or the seed planted or the animals fed or the crops brought in.

A farmer understands that “he’s totally dependent upon forces that are outside his control” … If the sun doesn’t shine enough or the rain doesn’t come at just the right moment, all his work will go for naught. Because of that understanding, he remains both humble and hopeful.

A farmer understands (no matter how carefully he studies it) that there is an incredible mystery behind this process in which he has involved himself. And that knowledge nurtures in him a spirit of awe and wonder.

A farmer understands that there is a time to work and then there is a time to wait … a harvest cannot be rushed and so patience becomes a part of his nature.

A farmer understands just how blessed he is when all goes well and the harvest is abundant. At those times, feelings of genuine gratitude well up within him.

So is it any wonder I say that God has a special place in his heart (and Kingdom) for farmers?

John Spencer was one of those special people—he carried the title “farmer” well. From the classroom of his farm, he passed on to his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren godly lessons in life. His harvest goes on and on.