The Growing Season预览

We have a fleet of old, beat-up trucks on our farm—from ’80s-model pickups to one-ton flatbeds. The collective worth of all these trucks probably equals one brand-new one. But why get something new when it’s just going to get dented and banged up in the fields?

One day I climbed into the flatbed truck rode to a restaurant with my husband, Perry. The place was bustling with the lunch crowd when we got there. Several people turned up their noses at us with a you don’t belong here expression. Which was humorous because it’s not like we were at a five-star restaurant.

Perry laughed and said, “You finally see what I’ve been telling you for years. People think they are better than me when I drive one of our old trucks.” He then quipped, “That’s why I like driving ’em. Makes me instantly see the character of a person.”

When we are judged, we often feel as if we are less than someone else. Now let’s turn this around. Have you ever made a value judgment of a person based on an outward attribute? 

Shamefully, I can raise my hand too. It’s fleshly and sinful, and we’ve all done it. Judging is not justified in the eyes of the Lord. All our lives are of value. Job 12:10 says, “In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Pretty humbling! God created every one of us—those who wear Carhartt and those who wear Chanel. We should aim to see someone as a child of God first.

Once I walked hand in hand with a lady through the doors of our church. She was shaking, nervous because she thought she wouldn’t be accepted with her tattoos and jeans. Thankfully, when she walked into our sanctuary she was treated like royalty. It was almost like God had whispered to the women of our church, Make her feel loved and welcome. Ladies wearing dresses and ladies wearing jeans loved on this new gal.

She was viewed as a fellow child of God. She felt welcomed and soon discovered lots of tattooed people sit in the rows of our church—including my husband.

Farm gal, let’s commit to making people feel welcome. We are all God’s handiwork. Whether you see someone driving a dusty pickup or a Mercedes, see them as a fellow creation of God’s. And whenever you feel as if you are being looked down upon, remember that God tells us we all belong.