A lesson in faith from a John Deere tractor

grandpa_dwight_tractor-2

When I was a child, I collected insects. I went outside hunting for grasshoppers and beetles and ladybugs, and put them all in a glass jar. I fed them grass and let them breathe with holes nailed through the lid.

One day, after a particularly successful hunt, I had a huge jar just buzzing with all kinds bugs. I decided to climb to the top of my grandpa’s John Deere tractor with my glass jar in tow.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” my grandfather warned.

He didn’t understand. This was my moment of triumph.

“I wouldn’t,” he repeated.

I climbed up anyway.

I don’t know if you’ve ever climbed to the top of a John Deere tractor, but the top isn’t perfectly level. Each side slopes downward. I set my jar down, and before I could stop it, gravity did its work. My glass jar was on the ground, shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.

Of course there were tears, and with those tears came a new realization: Maybe Grandpa knows what he’s talking about.

I want to take the next few posts and talk about faith. There are many ways we demonstrate our faith in God. Here’s one: We do what He says, even when it doesn’t make sense.


Bible trivia:
Answer from last time: David’s best friend was King Saul’s son, Jonathan.
New question: Who did Abram (Abraham) rescue?

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    What do you get when you combine deep Christian faith with outside-the-box thinking? You get the fresh insights offered by Author Dwight Clough in his many books on personal and cultural transformation. Whether he’s tackling polarization or re-examining the route to heaven, his solutions are always unique, carefully thought out, simply explained, and compassionately conveyed with a vulnerable glimpse into Dwight’s own journey. Dwight is a national award winning writer, ghostwriter, publishing consultant, and author of over 20 books including End the Divide, The Gift of Transformation, Rethinking Our War on Poverty, Am I Going to Heaven When I Die?, and What It Means to Follow Jesus. Dwight and his wife Kim have four young adult children. Dwight loves exploring the back roads of rural Wisconsin.

     
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