The Message in the Hog's
Bucket
Greetings from Colvin Family Farm! As the winter
weather continues
to freeze...then thaw...then freeze, no two days are alike on our farm! If I
had to describe what it's like on a farm in one word during the winter, I'd
say, "MUD".
Farm attire changes during the winter...yes, we still wear layers of our
chore clothes..but RUBBER BOOTS are a must. I took a few steps outside with my
outdoor sneakers on yesterday, and very soon I KNEW I had made a mistake! Working
with soggy feet quickly took the joy out of being outside during this break in
the storm! I was soon back in to change. With my "muck boots" on, I
could slop around the farmyard to my heart's delight!
This kind of weather with it's frequent storms is a delight to our
hogs. During the long months of drought we had to create wallers for them to
roll in...you see, they don't swet and NEED mud.
This morning Farmer Steve trudged through the
As he fed the bags of feed to the hogs as usual there was a
stampede from the woods as the hogs know
the sounds of feeding time! Next he threw the slop bucket from the kitchen over the fence to the awaiting hogs....literally! Usually only the slop goes to the eager pigs, but today bucket and all went INTO THE MUD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE! Now, a little hog mud science...mud sucks you down, makes you stinky, and soon the bucket would have been trampled in it's depth! The longer it stayed on the other side of the fence, the less chance it would ever be usable again. The only hope in retrieving it was for the farmer to climb the fence and save the needed bucket!
the sounds of feeding time! Next he threw the slop bucket from the kitchen over the fence to the awaiting hogs....literally! Usually only the slop goes to the eager pigs, but today bucket and all went INTO THE MUD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE! Now, a little hog mud science...mud sucks you down, makes you stinky, and soon the bucket would have been trampled in it's depth! The longer it stayed on the other side of the fence, the less chance it would ever be usable again. The only hope in retrieving it was for the farmer to climb the fence and save the needed bucket!
The next time I saw Farmer Steve he was spraying the muck...I mean
mud off the bucket (and himself) before coming inside to get ready for church and a hot
breakfast. Without a THOROUGH cleaning, that bucket wasn't coming into my
kitchen!!
the slop bucket. I'll pass it on to you. The bucket is a lot like
us...people. We often wonder about life "on the other side of the
fence" where things look more exciting, even more enticing than what we're
experiencing. We sometimes choose to "cross the fence" and get into
the mud of life...our sin sucks us down, makes us stinky, and soon we'd be
trampled down and lost forever if it weren't for God Himself, the Lord Jesus
reaching down...pulling us out of the sin (mud) and washing us off (with His
blood shed on the cross of Calvary).
So, as we sat listening to the parable of the hog
bucket while we sipped hot tea, ate our eggs and apple cinnamon scones, I thanked God for saving me out of my personal muck and mire. It wasn't anything I did...just like my much needed hog bucket, it or I couldn't save ourselves, it took a farmer...it took a Saviour!
bucket while we sipped hot tea, ate our eggs and apple cinnamon scones, I thanked God for saving me out of my personal muck and mire. It wasn't anything I did...just like my much needed hog bucket, it or I couldn't save ourselves, it took a farmer...it took a Saviour!
What side of the fence are you on today? Jesus wants to reach down
and save you from the muck of your sin and wash you off, giving you a new
life!
"For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God."
Romans 2:8,9
Abundant Blessings!
The Farmer's Wife,
Val
P.S. I found this neat article recently on the advantages of naturally raised hogs. I think you'll like it too! Next, visit us at a market and see for yourself. If you have any questions about pork or the "mud of this life" and need help, just talk with Farmer Steve next time you see him...or contact me here. :)
Abundant Blessings!
The Farmer's Wife,
Val
P.S. I found this neat article recently on the advantages of naturally raised hogs. I think you'll like it too! Next, visit us at a market and see for yourself. If you have any questions about pork or the "mud of this life" and need help, just talk with Farmer Steve next time you see him...or contact me here. :)
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