Matthew 6:34 says: "So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

The sign outside our church says: "During trying times, don’t quit trying."

Farmers are always working and trying to make ends meet, though it seems the ends never do meet. But our needs are met.

My parents remember that during the mid-1950s they had only $40 a month to live on. They had beef, milk, a garden, and probably chickens and eggs, along with a home to live in. They don’t remember what they lacked, only that their needs were met as they started their family.

I remember one of the first Bible verses I memorized that I said as grace before dinner. I probably paraphrased it, knowing my childlike faith. It went like this: "Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap or gather into barns but the Heavenly Father feeds them." Matthew 6:26-27.

As I remember years past and look at the struggles of many farmers this year, all we can do is turn to the Lord. Pick up a Bible and read the Psalms.

"In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul." Psalm 94:19.

Rather than complain, we need to trust God no matter how severely our faith is tested. God is good, and his purpose is to bless us.

So, I challenge you to join me in counting our blessings every day and thanking God for each and every one of them.

Laurel Bedford,
Jefferson, N.Y.

Bedford is a member of the Mountain Valley, N.Y., Chapter of Fellowship of Christian Farmers International.