I couldn’t wait for dad to say the beautiful words, “We are laid by.” It happened from mid-July to mid-August. It’s when the soybeans are too big to cultivate and the rice is weeks away from harvest. In short, it’s when the pressure of time gets a relief. Normally we went fishing, visited relatives and even occasionally took a trip. For dad, even though we took time off, he went to the farm every day. It was this time of year we (his regular men & me) made sure the combines, tractors, grain carts, and trucks were fully ready for harvest.

How a farmer uses the “Laid By” time is very important. There is a natural tendency to take a long & well-deserved vacation. After all, you can tell yourself, “I’ve worked from sun-up to after dark, eaten supper at 9pm, 6 days a week since April…I’m going to do nothing!” But my dad always knew, harvest was coming, and he never took his eye off the harvest.

Although I left the farm, this Principle runs deep in my being. After the hustle & bustle of starting something…after the pressure is off, I keep my eyes on the purpose. It’s all about the harvest. The “Laid By” time is a time to repair, reorganize, and refuel to finish strong.

The incredible thing God continues to reveal to me is how the Law of the Farm applies to living life. When I retired in 2009, I thought I was finished. But I discovered I was “laid by” not laid off. Retirement was not my harvest. I had been given time to repair, reorganize, and refuel.

God is incredible. Today, looking back I recognize one of my guiding Principles, “With God, Nothing-Just-Happens, Nothing!” Everything I have done, He has woven together to whisper to my heart. He used Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” to use the memories, ideas & thoughts to point to Him.

It all started the second week after I retired. Mary was still working and I found myself alone. For the first time in my life, I had no purpose. No one was waiting for me to tell them what we were going to do. So, I took my laptop, a cup of coffee and went out onto our deck to write.

Little did I know God was using this “laid by” time to plow my field (prepare my heart) for His purpose. He would provide everything for 3 new fields of ministry. As I think about what He has done the memory of my dad walking across the rice field just before harvest floods my heart. I can almost hear him saying, “Robert, I think we are going to have a good crop.” It’s always about the harvest. So, as Paul wrote, “I press on…”

Maybe you are in a time of “Laid By” wondering if this is it! Maybe you think you are finished & washed up. Good news. If you have breath, God’s got a job for you. Know this, if you do nothing the weeds of life will grow in your heart and choke out your harvest.

Purpose always starts with the heart (field). Allow God to plow your field (heart). Fertilize your field with the gratefulness found in the Psalms. Spend time with just Him. Talk to Him. It’s in the quiet moments He will whisper to your heart. I now recognize He has been the author of my thoughts  & ideas all along. God is so cool.

Isn’t it time you had a purpose bigger than you? God has a job for you. What are you going to do?