I have never been a farmer and was not even raised in a farm, but I imagine to be farmer, one must have a great faith dan a great heart.  A farmer must have a great faith because at every planting season he must hope for the best harvest.  He must also have a great heart because at every harvest he will have to be thankful for whatever it he gets.  He must accept the fact that not every grain is as good but overall, he has had a good harvest.  A great heart is needed to give him peace to go on and to hope, and not to give up, year after year. 

In his book, A Time for Being Human, Eugene Kennedy, a Catholic scholar, talks about this kind of peace, “that comes for those who learn to live the life that is possible, if imperfect, rather perfect but finally impossible.”  I do think life is a matter of attitude—ways we choose to navigate through life.  Sometimes we are stuck in life, not because of the situation that we are in, but rather because of the choices that we make.  Instead of looking at the possible, we focus on the impossible.  And the reason why we refuse to embrace the possible is because it is imperfect. We only want the perfect, not the imperfect.  Sadly, in the end we are stuck—in the impossible.

There is much to learn from a farmer.  At every planting season—which is every morning—we must have a great faith.  We hope and pray for the best and we depend on God’s lovingkindness to carry us through the day and bless us with His goodness.  And at every harvest—which is every night—we must also have a great heart. We must thank God for everything because as St. Paul says in Romans 8:28, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Harvest is good.

We do not chase after the impossible and the perfect, but rather we accept the imperfect and do the possible.  Overall, life is good.

Pastor Paul