“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all, your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Did you ever wish you knew where to go to resign from life? Tired of being tired, sick of being sick and sick, and tired of doing what you are doing? Be very sure you are not alone!

Someone called me the other day with just that complaint. She was tired of the struggle, that was her life and I had to admit she had come to a very discouraging season. As I struggled to find something to say to this dear one, a story came to mind. I didn’t remember the exact words, but knew enough to relay its purpose to this saddened woman.

There was once a farmer who was sick and tired of working the old farm he had worked all of his life. The cows always needed to be milked; the hogs needed to be fed and the chicken eggs were looking poorly since the hot weather had set in. He was tired of planting corn, only to find that the big seller was beans. He was tired of praying for rain one time and then praying for it to stop the next time. The weeds, the bugs, the never-ending need to fix something were just too much for this weary one. He dreamed of a better livelihood that made him more money with less worry. Just because the ole farm had been in the family for generations didn’t mean he had to endure its hardships, he reasoned.

After rolling this around for a while, he called the local newspaper to put his farm up for sale. His voice shook a little as the clerk at the newspaper answered the phone. “Could I help you?. “Well, I hope so”, the old farmer finally got out past the ever-growing lump in his throat. “Okay, Sir, what can I do for you?” she said nonchalantly. “Well, he got out. I want to sell this old farm of mine.” After getting all the pertinent information about billing, she continued, “Can you describe your farm to me?” The old fellow scratched his head and started. “It’s a good old place he said, it is five hundred acres of flat land with the blackest dirt you ever saw.” “Hmmm,” came the voice on the other end. “The beginning of spring, the corn just peeks up through the ground, no prettier sight in the entire world. If you get out there early enough, the dew still hangs on each one of the baby stalks, as if dropped there with an eyedropper by the Lord himself. Okay…. dew still….! Anything else Sir? “In late summer, you can watch the sun go down behind the stalks of corn and as it barely peeks over the tops in a grand exit, the golden tassels almost dance with God’s glory! And, and, and he stuttered in his excitement, that old cow, has produced milk for my family for ten years now and she gives us the prettiest calves you ever saw. Can’t say much about the hogs being pretty or nothin’, but eggs wouldn’t be the same without them. And you know, I have chickens that run the place and in the morning after that old rooster has awakened the whole countryside, you can hear those old hens with their busy hum as they search for breakfast. Nothing like that sweet hum, he said as his voice trailed off. Okay, Sir is that all? Now we need to get to a price. How much is your farm worth? At this, it brought the farmer back to reality. He scratched his head as he pondered this last question until he came up with the answer. “IT IS PRICELESS!” he shouted into the telephone. There is not enough money for what God has given me. My old farm is not for sale!”

Days later, I talked to this same lady, dreading to hear what turn her life had taken since we had spoken last. As she approached, she could not hold her excitement about what God had given her and what He was doing in her life. She praised God not only for the good things that she had forgotten about, but even the things that most people would consider bad things. With a wink and a smile, she added, “I finally put the ole farm up for sale but found it to be PRICELESS!

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…. (Psalm 107:2 NIV)