Each crop season my dad did his part. He prepared the ground. He maintained his equipment. He used his God-given skills & knowledge to make good decisions throughout the crop year. He recognized what he could control and what he could not.

But those things we can’t control…they throw me for a loop so many times. On many occasions I watched my dad face the harshness of things beyond his control. The drop in crop prices, no rain, too much rain, and the storms that can wreak havoc just before harvest. There were also minor challenges of equipment breakdowns, health & injuries at critical stages of the crop season, weeds & pests all set the stage for what could have been sleepless nights. I’m not going to say my dad never worried, but he was never paralyzed by the fear of what might happen. He faced the situation as best he could and kept moving.

After he retired from farming because of a major heart attack, his challenges did not go away. Over the next 20+ years he had bypass surgery, a stroke, an aorta aneurysm, colon cancer, partial loss of the use of his right hand from getting it caught in an auger and the financial loss of his tomato farm. He never complained or felt sorry for himself, never. One night in the parking lot he put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Robert, if you don’t have something to get up for, one morning you won’t.” It’s all about purpose. That was the night I had told him I had cancer.

I guess this is why I love the powerful phrase Paul gave us, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I PRESS ON to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own…I PRESS ON toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12,14. Paul’s Purpose was bigger than him. His purpose was bigger than his pain. His purpose was a “No-Matter-What” Purpose.

As a Follower of Jesus, our Purpose is clear. We have been called to the field…to plant the seed of the only “Good News”, Our Redeemer, Jesus. He’s Alive. He desires to be your Purpose.

As my dad would say at the breakfast table, “It’s time to go to work!”