Life and Death on the Farm

How beautiful the hibiscus is blooming today! I found this special sight walking back to the house after having to remove a dead pullet from my chick pen. This pretty gift gave me encouragement with its beauty. Life and death happen often on the farm.

My family has grown up with this reality..life and death are all around us. Flowers bloom and die in their season..as does the garden plant..trees..even the grass. Simple truth often overlooked by our daily business. Our animals are born and die..chicks, goats, dogs..the larger stock such as horses...all have their time and place in this life. Living our lifestyle as we do, we accept this as truth..we are saddened by it...and we move forward. When the chicken died this morning, I was saddened by it, handled the situation, and am looking at ways to protect those that remain.
While it is sad, it is part of life. Yet, as we know, death does not only come to nature around us...it comes to us.

Our little church is grieving the passing of a precious soul..one of our wonderful deacons...a grandfather figure to all of our children...a faithful man of God who recorded the prayer needs as they were mentioned ..made the announcements in Sunday service...brought donuts for the children and made coffee for the adults. Grief for a person is much different...the passing of a loved one has a deeper impact on our soul. Here on our farm, we are grieving the passing of this dear friend, yet celebrating his precious life - on this earth and now in Heaven.

My heart is pressed upon by the Holy Spirit..this is an opportunity..a teachable moment..use it! Death of a person is much different than death in nature...it is different in our response...it is different in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. God cares for all nature...He clothes the Lillis and knows when a sparrow falls..His Word tells us of His love for all He has created. Yet, our relationship with Him is different...we are "in His image" according to Genesis. Christ died for us..according to the Gospels...to restore our relationship with the Father. This we must teach. This person is not lost - we know where he is- we know we can see him again in Heaven. The soul, the part of him that made him who he was- has left this vessel and gone to Jesus.

While the passing of this dear man is sorrowful...he is not lost...we know where he is..by his testimony- shared many times with all who would hear- by his life, the fruit he produced in God's service. Here is the way to peace with life and death. To know, he is not here...he is in Heaven with our Savior..he is waiting for us to meet him there.

Healing takes time, even with the knowledge that we will meet again. Remembering the wonderful things about this person has already given us joy and peace. We speak lovingly of the things that made him special to us...we pray for his wife and family still here with us...we take from his example and love with a heart for God.

Yes, life and death happen on the farm...we are touched by it as others are. Please, take the time today to pray for those around you that may be grieving the passing of someone precious to them...and lovingly remember the ones gone on before us..waiting to see us again.

simplychele