Big fat haybales all in a roll, laying in the green pasture. I see a tractor at the ready to finish baling what is left of the hay that has been left to dry in the hot summer sun. This, outside the window of my husbands vehicle as we go barreling down the interstate on our way to church this morning. I remarked how in genius that the farmers made use of the strip of green in between their pasture and the road way to garner more hay. Ah the in between – I think I will save that for another post on another day.

I love this time of year. Mid summer. Right now everything is green, it is hotter than blazes. The Cicadas are singing their mating song, tree frogs are warbling, birds are chirping and bees are a buzzing. There I sat daydreaming as we moved towards our destination, I began to ponder the loveliness of the bales rolled tight and setting pretty; as I did God whispered to my heart that this is what seasons sometimes looks like. Now bear with me, I am by no means a farmer; this girl owns approximately 2 wild acres but something about what He said made sense in a way I had never thought about before.

So I asked someone who does farm and here is what they said. There are many steps necessary for a grain of seed to bud and grow tall enough for it to be used for hay for one season. You have to prepare the soil by tilling, fertilizing and planting the crop. Then you water some, and pray a lot as it rains that it does not over saturate the seedling and cause it to rot. Once the hay has grown tall enough to cut and bale you again pray more that there will be rain free days so the cut hay can be dried and ready to bale.

What I found most interesting is the process used in preparation for the hay to be bound together into bales; After the hay has been cut it is formed or raked into rows and left to dry out, after a few days or week the hay is raked again turning it over. This assures the product will dry out thoroughly and any pests or vermin making a home have a chance to vamoose before being rolled up and netted into the big beautiful bales thereby readying it to be used in the winter months as food for livestock.

I imagined that process to be much like our lives going through a moment of conflict or trouble. Here we are growing along when all of a sudden we are knocked down, turned over and over until we are dried out and all the pests and vermin have left us. Only then are we ready to be used for kingdom purposes. Only then is our faith tested and a deeper level of trust established in the one necessary to move us to the next thing. Cut too soon we will be stubble unable to withstand the raking and baling process. Cut too late and we become wilted and perhaps molded from our excess. Just right and we become something useful, necessary even to another for life, health and growth.

13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13 NLT

³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT

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