Yesterday we watched a film called Inherit the Land about several families who longed for the agrarian lifestyle and then made steps to do it. We first watched this film over 10 years ago. It always made us so upset. How we longed for that very thing, to leave the suburbs, the city, grow our own food, work our own land, be close by our kids, enjoy pleasant views, country breezes.......This time when we watched it, we would shake our heads in awe and gratefulness - it has happened!
We just finished a full week of haying alongside our boys and our girls. I didn't even ask the younger ones to join in, but the morning of, they just put on their old jeans, found some work gloves and then ran outside with the rest of them, including the 5 and 9 year old. They worked all day! Perhaps not quite 12 hours like the older boys, but nearly. Working alongside children? Check. Doing hard work? (no one can walk around here.....in too much pain!) Check check.
We are on round 2 of trying a garden. We actually got seeds planted and now, to my amazement, even though the soil isn't wonderful, we have green sprouts all over the garden. I'm amazed. Attempting to grow our own food? Check.
We really could have been one of the families they interviewed on the film. One of the moms said how it struck her one day while they were still living in town how dependent they were on the 24 hour grocery store. What if there ever were a national crisis and she was unable to feed her family? That is exactly what I felt one day while living in town years ago. There had been some gas shortage and gas stations all over town said, "No gas, sorry." One of the places that still had gas was just up the street and the lineups to the gas station were way down the road. I felt like I was in a bad dream! I couldn't believe it was happening in my wealthy little town! That was when it struck me, "If it's the gas stations today, when will it be the grocery stores?" We had no ability to grow our own food, no land, no animals, nothing. It was soon after that that we kicked it into high gear, not out of fear, but out of wisdom! We no longer pursued the dream of country living for the ability to have a nice property, but so that we could feed our family! Frozen chickens in the freezer? Check.
So we thank God for how He has answered our prayers. We know He has, but last night it was so good to really remember and reflect how much has happened in the last few years. I still can't believe how much has changed for us since we moved. We are definitely not the same people.
A quick review on Jen Wilkin's take on Leah. She is one of the least talked about women in the Bible. Her name means "wild cow", not the most beautiful meaning, unlike her sister, Rachel, whose name meant "ewe-lamb", much cuter. She had some physical defect that made her much less desirable. Her whole life she felt unloved, not enough, a burden. Eventually, her Dad, Laban, tricks Jacob into marrying her, thinking he's getting Rachel, but she knew he still loved Rachel more. She starts to figure that if she has children he will love her and the Bible even records her thoughts, "This time he will love me because I've given him a son." But he doesn't. Six times this happens, six sons, but still no love. She actually goes to the grave rejected. When you get to the end of her story, you think, "It can't end this way! Why would God include such an awful story!?" You can only feel sorry for this poor woman. Even as Jen recalled her story, I remember putting myself in Leah's position thinking, "What if that had been me? That would have been so awful!" You can feel her pain and rejection jumping off the pages of the Bible.
But then Jen pointed out the amazing part of the story that can get missed in the first reading. Yes, Leah felt rejected and refused, but in fact she was chosen. God had chosen Leah to be the mother of Judah , from the line of the Messiah Himself. She didn't know! Jen said, "If I could have gone and told her something, I would have said, 'You don't need Jacob's approval! Don't worry about being rejected by man!'" But we know the end of her story, she didn't. That is why it is included in the Bible, so that if we find ourselves as a woman who is rejected or not accepted or if the world says, "You are not enough" (because often that is true), we have to know we aren't enough, but we don't have to be! Jesus Christ is enough. We don't need acceptance from others. We can rejoice that we are accepted by God.
All along Leah's life had purpose, but she didn't know it. She was birthing the line of Judah. It is so sad to think she went to the grave not knowing that. We all want that Disney plot resolution. We want our stories to end happy. But they just don't sometimes, yet perhaps the awful life lessons we go through are not just for us, but for our future generations....many generations later. I'm really grateful for Leah's sad story as I know so many who are in sad situations. I can share her story and encourage them to know, even if in this lifetime things don't go so well for you there is hope. We don't need man's acceptance, only God's, which He freely gives. The Bible really reflects true life where there is very rarely happy plot resolution. Instead, the Bible shows that life can be hard, sad, lonely, even depressing. Yet the Bible doesn't leave us there. It offers hope....if we read the whole story!
Poor Leah, I wish I could talk to her now. Her story has helped me so much to think now about every hard thing I'm in or that my friend's are in, "This isn't the end of the story. God has a purpose much greater than I will ever know in my lifetime." Then, I can relax and stop trying to have "six sons" to achieve acceptance by man or God. I am accepted and loved already.
No comments:
Post a Comment