Jeff Lee
Field Personnel in Skopje, North Macedonia
A Blessing from a Farmer
A blessing for new life. The springtime brings with it new life and growth. For us to participate in that new life requires us to fully understand what is occurring. We live in a world of constant changes, and we must find our place in the everchanging landscape we face daily. We must facilitate new life.
Blessed is the seed. As we plant a seed for potential new life, we focus on what is set before us. We have an opportunity to facilitate new life. We are the caretakers of what is new and fresh. We live in a broken world but there is hope with new life.
Blessed are the hands. New life requires cultivation. When a seed is planted it requires hands to place that seed into the healthy soil. The soil needs nutrients and moisture to encourage the new life to spring forth from the ground. It requires hands to cultivate and to prune the new life—and that are sometimes calloused and worn from years of tending to multiple gardens of life.
Blessed is the land. The land is the home for new life. We are homemakers on this journey of life. We are required to work and change the land to improve the chances for new life to flourish in sometimes harsh conditions.
Blessed is the rain. Water is a source of life. We cannot live without water. Often, we pass through a period of drought and famine. The rain brings that new life in time of struggle and pain.
Blessed is the harvest. The harvest is part of the cycle of life. We benefit from the harvest, which brings new life for us. We are part of the cycle of new life and death. It is a constant part of who we are. A blessing from a farmer is understanding the cycle and providing for those in need around them.
Blessed is the table. May your table be full and shared with those around you. A blessing from a farmer is to fill your table. May it overflow to create and maintain life in your house and community. A blessing from a farmer is understanding the greatest commandment, to love God and to love our neighbor.
The blessing from the farmer is the understanding that life is an ever-changing journey.
Peace be the journey.