Corn Field Comparison

Little did I know growing up on a small family farm that some day I would be sitting in the drivers seat of a machine like that one pictured above.  My husband and I farmed for 46 years and many changes were made in the machinery we used.  The equipment above shows the last combine that we used.  Quite a change from the machinery my Dad used on the farm that I grew up on.  In the last years of farming before retirement Wilmer, my husband, asked me if I would help with the harvesting. The request really was to haul the wagons from the field .  I thought it looked easier to run  the combine and he agreed I could try.  So I combined corn with the rig pictured above. 

Now I seldom was out in the corn field when it was dark.  But one night I had that opportunity and since I was a pastor by that time I was always looking for meaningful analogies.  The corn field was a perfect field for that.  As I combined the tall corn I could only see a short distance with the (head) light of the combine.  It only shone on the path I was to combine.  When I came to the end of  the row it was difficult to see where I had to turn to get to the right rows. It took some trust to turn correctly but, again, the light guided me.  Sometimes the field had a patch of weeds growing in with the corn.  It took concentration to stay on row so that when reaching the end of  the patch I was still on the right rows.  If there was a small dip or washout in the area I was combining care had to be taken so no damage was done to  the machine I was maneuvering.   I saw that corn  field as an analogy to how a Christian lives life.  Care must be  taken to stay on row and that is done by the light that shines on our pathway.  Without the light of Christ to guide us we quickly get off row.  When we must or want to make a change in our life we must be careful to let the light guide us and make decisions based on the light that is shining and directing us.  The patches of weeds - often in life we encounter temptations which can throw us off (row) the course we  committed to when we decided to follow Jesus.  It may not seem like such a big deal or serious problem at the time but it can totally make us wander from  our walk with the Lord.  The weed patch may not hinder the yield of the corn so much but it needs to be taken out so the corn can grow unhindered.  At night in the field out in the country I saw markers, lights of  the neighboring  farms. That reminded me of how we need markers to know where we are in our Christian walk.  We need to know where we are in relationship to  Christ. They act as mirrors or boundaries if you will.  I call them spiritual check points.  We need constant Bible reading, we need prayer, we need Christian friends or mentors to help us with accountability.  The lights in the field reminded me of those necessary structures and teaching elements.   If we get in a time of sickness or  hardship of some kind we need to stay close to the Lord so we focus on Him and let Him help us thru our difficult time. As we say in our church, "we don't fly alone".  God is always there to help us if we keep our focus on Him. 
My book, I've Always Been Rich, which I hope you read, fills our how these principles learned from the combine were a help in various circumstances I encountered in my life. I hope they will help you as you follow the path  God lays out for you.  It is challenging but so eternally rewarding.
Marilyn Rensink   email- mjrevmom6@aol.com  Books are available to Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com or Christian bookstores.  Google my name or book name for more information about  the book.