MOST everyone is scared of the unknown. When we board a plane, we are just a bit terrified, as we know that soon we will not be in control. When we leave our home in the morning, we spy a black cat and wonder what’s in store for us, even as we avoid walking under a ladder. Scared about unknown sounds, about news that earthquakes are becoming more frequent, and scared of a scheduled hospital visit and what it will reveal about that secret pain in your stomach.
Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well..” answered the little man, “I can sleep when the wind blows!”
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. The one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!”
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.” Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in barn, the chickens were in their coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.
Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.
We secure ourselves against the uncertainties of life by anchoring ourselves, grounding our lives into that of God’s. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms! Nothing else my friend will give you peace as the winds of the unknown blow..!
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
