Two weeks after I graduated from the eighth grade, my parents sent me to Platte Valley Academy to work on the farm. I had three jobs, feeding the farm animals, cleaning the barn after the cows were milked, and the rest of the day I spent hoeing weeds. Most of the other boys were older and had grown up on farms so they got to drive tractors. I would watch them drive away to the fields while, hoe in hand, I was awash in self pity. (Politicians have passed laws to keep kids from working that hard now, but fortunately for me, those laws hadn't been passed yet.)

Six weeks into the summer they taught me how to drive a tractor and my first job was to mow hay. I was excited. It was an old fashioned mower that was an eight foot long arm full of sharks' teeth. When I reached the hay field I lowered the mower arm and started cutting. It was wonderful. I drove along watching the hay fall. When I reached the end of the field and started the next swath I started having trouble. I had made a crooked path the first time, watching the hay fall, and discovered that to get all of the hay cut I had to follow the same crooked path the second time. (There is a lesson in here somewhere.) I was not doing a good job. It looked like a very bad haircut.

I slowed the tractor way down and tried to follow the first cut but I was taking a long time and still doing a bad job. I knew I would soon be back hoeing weeds. I felt like crying but I was 15, so I did a better thing. I prayed and asked God to help me know how to do this job right. The next thought I had was that a straight cut would be easier to follow than a crooked one!!! Then I remembered hearing that when plowing, if you want to make a straight furrow you don't watch the plow but aim the tractor at a fence post at the end of the field and go straight toward it. When you reach the end, your furrow will be straight. I moved to a part of the field I hadn't messed up yet and put that idea into practice. I worked.

What a wonderful lesson for life. When you have messed your like up and are having a hard time getting it straightened out, take your off the problems and focus your attention on Jesus. As you head straight toward Him you will discover the solution to your problems. Matthew 6:33 Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you!!!

Pastor Bob