Straighter
Furrows
Charlie Earl
My father
was obsessive about his fields and furrows. The rows must always be
straight….no deviation. As a youngster on the farm, I thought that he was
overly picky. I found his insistence on straight furrows to be rather tedious
because my impatient attitude wanted to get on with it. Invariably we had the
straightest rows in the neighborhood. One could peer down the row of emerging
corn and see no swerve or variation. When plowing, our furrows were nearly as
precise and dead-furrow depth was to be no more than 8 inches….because they
were easier to “fill” and created a more level planting surface.
Now that I’m
plowing furrows for myself, I find that I’m committed to straight and narrow
ones. There are a number of reasons that I have grown to value straighter
furrows. First, precise furrows have fewer “missed spots” so the person doing
the plowing does not have to redo the plot. It saves time and fuel….you know
that old “do it right the first time” wisdom that never loses its potency. Second,
there is some personal satisfaction derived from craftsmanship. The aesthetic
value and the internal sense of accomplishment are satisfying. Third, the
straighter furrows are more easily worked to allow for a smoother and more
consistent seed bed which, in turn, should prove beneficial at harvest time.
Fourth, I miss my Dad, and every day I discover how right he was about so many
things in life.
It seems
probable that most of us would enjoy having a “do-over” for certain actions,
inactions or incidents from our pasts. I can recall (painfully) many instances
when I have failed to properly respond to a circumstance even though I knew
what the correct response should be. Either my stubborn pride or short-term
self interest dictated my inadequate reaction. Inevitably I paid for my failure
to follow a proper course. It seems that our human and carnal natures become
most dominant when our reason and faith-based responses are most needed. If I
can fall into a sports analogy here: it’s similar to when the 90% free-throw
shooter clanks a couple at “crunch time.” Our higher purpose and our higher
natures are not natural. Our tendency is to revert to our weaker and baser
natures when we face adversity.
Even when we
are mystified by something beyond our ability to comprehend, we feel the need
to reduce it to the comprehensible. Although at first blush this appears to be
a logical response, it assumes that we are capable of knowing everything. It is
arrogance of the highest order. The mature response is to admit that we do not
know, but accept the possibility that something may be greater than our feeble
knowledge. This is the essence of faith, but in times of stress or trial, we
resort to our limited awareness to provide unsatisfactory and incomplete answers
about what is going on around us. Belief is knowing enough about a matter to
accept it at face value. Faith is sustaining belief when pummeled by doubt.
Those who have little or no faith are most vulnerable in times of trial.
This
somewhat meandering missive was prompted by what I observed on Facebook
yesterday. Numerous posts suggested that I “share” if I believed while others
insisted that I “like” them. Meanwhile….other posters belittled and ridiculed
those who have faith and wished to be “liked” for their cleverness and original
thought. I found myself wanting to share my faith but not desiring to be
brow-beaten into doing so. In addition, I resented the judgments of those who
laughed at my belief. In many respects they are no different than those who
wish to behead me because I am an infidel in their views.
Straighter
furrows and straight rows allow me to focus on the task at hand. They prevent
my being distracted by extraneous issues and meaningless gestures. If I tend to
my field and cultivate it wisely, then the harvest will be bountiful. If, on
the other hand, I allow other factors to intervene, my rows, my time and my
energy will not be utilized to their greatest potential. As I line up my John
Deere to strike the next furrow, I must remember to keep my eyes on the target
at the far end of the field. If I do so, my goal will be achieved so far as my
meager talents may allow.
Charlie Earl
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