Country roads,
take me home,
to the place I belong...
A farm.
Just the thought of it makes me smile.
You see, out in the country, where there's lots of open space...
where there are rolling hills and split-rail fences,
trees and lakes and critters untold...
where the sun rises and falls on grass-- not cement...
THAT'S where I belong.
And I JUST KNOW, deep down in my heart (wink. wink. grin.),
that the LORD has called me to that sort of life :)
Of course, so far He hasn't shown me how He's gonna get me there.
But surely one day... one day??
We'll see.
In the meantime,
I'll keep on plugging away where He has placed me...
I'll keep on walking the road He has paved for me,
and I'll keep on trusting Him for His perfect plan... for His perfect timing...
for His perfect provision... always.
Contentment:
that's what I'm working on these days;
that's what I need a bit more of.
I'd like to say I've got a handle on it-- that I've mastered it...
that I've conquered and defeated and WON!
But alas... no. The play continues... and I've still got lots of lessons to learn.
But play I must... and by His good grace, I'll walk... victoriously!
It's funny. My boys are teaching me that very lesson right now
(though they likely don't even realize it)--
that His grace is all I need...
that HE is all I need...
that His mercies are new every morning.
You see, not too long ago, as we strolled down one of my very favorite winding country roads...
as we admired the beauty of His creation around us...
as we explored the bounty of His earth,
the LORD provided a timely lesson... a lovely illustration... a wonderful case-in-point.
Because my boys, all three of them, well, they discovered something wonderful...
something fabulous...
something they wanted for their very own...
yes, something that rocketed to the top of this year's Christmas list--
Horses.
And not just one.
One for each of us.
Now THAT would be awesome, they cried!
Big Man would name his charge Batman.
Bub would name his Nick. Noh-man... Archie.
Lolli... Belle. Me... Polly. And daddy... Gunner.
A horse for each of us. A stable for six. What could be better than that, they wondered??
Yes, I agreed... it was a lovely plan, a beautiful dream, an awesome "what-if" kind of situation.
So naturally I hesitated (& regretted) to tell them that our current home
(nestled in the heart of Old Town on a mere 1/3 acre plot)
will never house a horse (much less six).
"Well, why can't we just move then?" they asked.
(You know-- to one of those ginormous gazillion dollar horse farms??)
Good question.
Chris??
Unfortunately, said breadwinner
(though he works very hard and has a very good job)
does not quite make the salary necessary to pay that sort of mortage... :)
"So why can't dad just get a new job?" they queried.
{Because evidently, in the minds of little ones,
gazillion dollar paying jobs are a dime a dozen--
all you have to do is get one.
They simply could not understand the hold-up.}
Contentment.
There's that word again. And this time we had to apply it to horses.
"Can we at least feed them, Mom?" Big Man questioned.
Oh, babe, they'll eat grass and hay on their own.
But perhaps next time we can grab some carrots and some apples--
they'd certainly love those!
Next time...
Yes, next time.
Because we'll be back.
And hopefully, we'll be claiming Paul's words as our very own,
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every sitation..."
Philippians 4:12
And we'll continue to walk our country roads...
we'll continue to admire the beauty around us...
and we'll continue to rejoice in the splendor that surrounds.
And as we enjoy the four-legged beasts from the other side of the fence,
we'll praise our LORD for all we do have...
for all He has given...
for all the blessings we unwrap,
each and every day.
Like apples and carrots.
Surely next time, we'll bring a few to share.
6 comments:
I just know that up in the heavenlies the Lord is preparing a farm for you - with a mansion right on it... and plenty of critters -- it just better be next to mine. :) Love the pictures. Awesome -- and if it's gonna happen this side of heaven Chris might wanna look into getting a side job - I hear McDonalds is hiring. hee hee! Love you!
Heather, you have such a gift with words!! You know just how to inspire this little heart of mine!
Contentment ... God's been working on us here, too!
P.S. Love the sunflare pics - great job!
"You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country." Dt. 28:3 I hope your dream does come true! Love you, Heath, :) Les
Love the farm idea. I know just where you were walking. It's one of my favorite country rodes too. Take care, see you soon. Love to all,Mom
Love your post and your pictures. You really have a way with words and a camera. One question -- so when can we take a field trip to see this place? My girls would never want to leave! :-) Laura
It is funny that you should use the lyrics from a John Denver song. I used to own every record he ever made, and I loved to listen to the songs about home and country life. I've always wanted to live in the country too, and eventually we did.
I pray that one day the Father will give you the desire of your heart Heather. Do you think that He puts those dreams in our hearts? I like to think He does.
Our first country home was on five acres in Upstate NY. My husband did most of the work on our house (we had the shell put up by the builder). It was in a Dairy Farming community, and we loved it.
When we moved to Texas, we bought two acres in the country and my husband built our home (right from scratch this time). Unhappily, the city is creeping in on us, so we have five beautiful acres we long to build a little house on some day. If only we can sell this place. We have been waiting for a very long time (because the little town here zoned our property as commercial property - so we need to find a buyer interested in having some sort of business here.).
I'll be praying for contentment for all of us, and for dreams to come true.
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