Faithfulness in the Fields

“Put your head down and plow”- Cindy Johnson (p.129)

Those words have echoed and burned in my heart for the last few weeks. It started before I ever read the book: Who’s Piking Me Up from the Airport: And Other Questions Single Girls Ask (i.e. funniest book about being a single Christian girls I’ve ever read).

Before I dived into this book (which I read in 8-hrs in one day) I had just finishing read about the Story of Ruth.

I’ve read the story before, many times, it’s one of my favorites. But something about her story struck me differently this time than it had before; and then when I can across this phrase in Cindy Johnson's Book (the one I just mentioned) “put your head down and plow.” It was confirmation of what the Lord was speaking to my heart about obedience & faithfulness.

We can look all throughout Scripture and find were God called people when they were out doing the everyday, ordinary things. Many of them were in fields of some kind or boats—which I find to now have such a deep and rich meaning of it’s own.

Specifically Ruth, what jumped out at me about her story was how she won the favor of  Boaz. (Side Note: this is not a post about dating although I’m sure some of this applies to relationships as well).

She didn’t win his favor by doing anything other than working. She wasn’t trying to win his favor, all she did was show up and do her job day-in and day-out. Eventually, Boaz took notice. It wasn’t just her hard work that he was able to see with his own eyes, but her very reputations. He heard about how she was helping and taking care of her mother-in-law since the death of her husband—how she left her father and mother and her homeland and came to live with a people she did not know before.

It was what was seen and unseen that enabled her to win the favor of Boaz.

I’ve been guilty, as I’m sure we all have, of wanting to try and impress people. If there is one thing I’ve learning it’s that people (most people) know when you’re trying to impress them. People can see authentic and real over performance (some take longer than other, but eventually everyone can see the real deal from the fake).

What I love about Ruth, and it challenged me as someone who wants to move up in my career—praying for certain doors to open—I’m learning the beauty of being faithful and obedient in “the field” the Lord has me.

This never hit home more than the other day at work when I found myself in the back room of the Library peeling  labels off old books. Because I was in the back, I could play music (softly). So I put on some worship much (in a public school) and just worshiped while I worked. It was during my 7-hrs of pulling off labels that God whispered the phrase he’d been whispering and is still whispering “plow and pray, plow and praise.” 

“Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap and harvest if you do not give up.”

The harvest will come, but it takes plowing. The hard work will and does pay off!

Just a side note too about relationships…

The Lord also reminded me that Ruth did nothing special to catch his attention. As girls, I think we are taught today that we have to as I like to call “dance” or “do cartwheels” in front of a guy to make him notice us.

If there is ONE THING I have learned—if he’s the right guy for you he’ll notice you without you having to even try. Guy and way more observant than we girls given them credit for. Them notice more than you think. They see more than you realize. They may not saying anything, but boys are not as clueless as they would have us believe sometimes.

So instead of spending all our time trying to turn heads, lets spend our time “in the fields.”

Growing in our relationship with the Lord

Serving Others

Work diligently for what you value

Getting an Education

Taking Care of Ourselves

Building Healthy Friendships and Community

Learn to be faithful in the small things

You’d be amazed at the people that take notice of things like that! You’d be amazed at the doors and opportunities the Lord opens up and brings your way, and even at the right time, a romantic relationship can be on of the biggest blessings from the Lord—helping you both better accomplish what He’s called you each to do.

Often times (we’ve all been guilty) we want the harvest without the plowing. We can’t reap the blessings of the harvest, without first being faithful in the fields.

“If you’re doing what you love, and you’re focusing your energy toward what most important, the right people will notice.” – Cindy Johnson