Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Keep Your Focus Luke 24:21

We harvested our first wheat crop last weekend.  It was 1:00 in the afternoon and about 100 degrees.  The air was dry and the wheat was ready.  The metal on our little Massey 35 combine was getting too hot to touch.  We had purchased the Massey in Montana last summer and had it shipped to California.  It had not been used in 20 years. It is an antique.  Few parts are available.  None of us had ever operated a combine before.  We were full of questions and concerns wondering if the field of wheat would end up in the combine's storage bin or not.  Finally after all our efforts the job was done and we engaged the auger that shot the grain out of the combine and into a waiting bin.  A stream of golden kernels flowed like water from the discharge chute.  There was a shout of joy as we finally saw the realization of our hopes flowing from the machine.  The worry and struggle to harvest did not compare with the enthusiasm we felt when we saw the grain flowing.

My spiritual life is like my combining life.  If I don't focus on the grain flowing I focus on the the worry and sweat that I had to endure up to that point. 


(On the right I am sitting in the drivers seat watching the grain get sucked into the header.  The ride is noisy, dusty and hot!  Below the "liquid" grain!)

Three days after Jesus was declared dead we know that two of the disciples decided to return to the town of Emmaus about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  On the way Jesus joined them on the walk but some how they did not recognize him.  The events of the past few days had overwhelmed them.  They are described as being sad.  They had also lost hope and their focus because they were talking and debating about the things that had just occurred.  They had hoped Jesus would be someone that he turned out not to be.  It was getting late so they asked the disguised Jesus to stay for dinner.  During dinner they recognized him!  But he left in an instant.  But they were ecstatic, Jesus was alive! After they regained their focus on Jesus during dinner four things happened.  One, they were energized.  After an emotionally exhausting weekend and long walk they were ready to walk back to Jerusalem.  Two, They were no longer sad. Three, They became bold enough to walk back to Jerusalem, in the dark, that very evening. and Fourth, they told others about their experience of renewed focus. 

When their focus was once again on Jesus the sad, hopeless, confused walk to Emmaus became a walk of joy, excitement, and hope back to Jerusalem.  I must remember to focus on Jesus in my spiritual walk day to day and focus on the joy of harvest when farming when the preparation is long, worrisome, and difficult. 

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