Put Your Time & Money Where Your Heart Is
Sunday morning before I went to church, I shared an article about Australia holding a day of prayer for the USA. It was admitted that Australia may have the same moral and spiritual bankruptcy as the U.S. but its concerned more because so many countries worldwide benefit from foreign aid from America. The article states: “Moral and spiritual bankruptcy leads to financial and governmental bankruptcy. America is in great danger from within and from without.”
After sharing this post, I went to church. I didn’t check my Facebook account until the church service was done, and there was a pretty charged debate taking place on my post! Everything from civil unions to a separation between church and state was being discussed. Many comments were thought-provoking, and my “friends” definitely were passionate about their beliefs.
This online debate combined with the sermon I heard earlier that morning brought his scripture to mind, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21
Pastor Scott’s sermon on Sunday, as always, seemed to be directed at me. (Ok… Ok… Pastor Scott probably isn’t targeting me, but his sermons are definitely speaking to my heart!) The burning question Pastor Scott raised Sunday was, “Who or what is the king ruling over your life?”
Are you a workaholic, who is allowing your job to take you away from church and family? Do you value material possessions, such as your house or vehicle, to separate you from what’s more important? I knew what my wife, Janice, was thinking as she listened to this sermon. After all, Janice has often threatened an intervention of my Social Media!
While I really don’t believe agvocating has gotten in the way of church and my family, it definitely is time consuming. So many activities and jobs compete for my time. I’m more involved than ever with church activities. Serving as an Elder has been a very rewarding position. I’ve attended way more events for my grandkids than I did for my kids.
No matter how much time I give to my church, my family or even my farm, I feel like there’s more I should be doing. My To Do List is longer than the list of projects I’ve completed. There’s landscaping to finish. My shop is going unused. There are rocks that need to be picked up from fields. The list goes on… My mind wanders to the numerous jobs on the farm that need doing as I sit writing another blog post!
Some folks have suggested that I apply for a new award, America’s Pig Farmer of the Year for demonstrating the “We CareSM ethical principles.” I’m good at raising pigs, but I haven’t been all that successful at making money at it. Diseases like circo-virus have not helped my bank account. When my combine caught fire during harvest last fall, it made rethink farming this year. Less than breakeven grain prices makes “pushing a pencil” a must! I know there are others like me, who are thinking very hard about how to survive this round of low crop prices.
Whether we farm or not, there are things that weigh heavily on our minds. We all have pet projects that distract us from our priorities. I thought by having some custom farming done this year, I would have more time. This may come back to bite me, but I’m going to give it a try. I’m going to fuel more energy into building my seed dealership, and I’m going to reprioritize my “Honey Do” list. Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and I want my wife to see just how much she means to me! We’ll attend church together and afterward we’ll enjoy a family dinner. I’ll be smoking pork, of course!
What tops your list?
