When I first started talking with people about 7th Seed being a farming and learning community, people would often reply: “Oh, there’s so many great metaphors to use with farming.” In my head I’d be thinking, “It’s not about the metaphors! It’s about the experience of (challenging) meaningful work.”
I have to admit, this fall I was struck by a farm metaphor (and it’s not the first time since we moved here). The beginning of this advent season seems a good time to share it.
In the summer, we move our sheep every six days or so. We have two large electric netting fences they spend their time in. As the summer progresses they rotate around our little hill-side pastures and our sheep help us mow (and fertilize). In October, they start baaahhh-ing at me after two days, letting me know that they are ready for me to move them to a new spot.
I was walking through the field on one beautiful October day—the day after I moved them. As I walked by our sheep, they were just laying down chewing their cuds. I was filled with joy to see them just content—content enough to be laying down.
In what was a particularly frenzied time of year for me, this image really struck me. I couldn’t get the phrase, “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” out of my head. I’ve known the words of Psalm 23 since my childhood, but it took this farm image to knock me over the head with it. So often I’m so busy doing—striving for green pastures.
As this Advent begins, I’m still ruminating on this idea: What if I trusted fully in this Good Shepherd? What would it look like to wait and know that following the Good Shepherd means I’ll lack nothing? I desire to quietly lie down (metaphorically speaking) in His green pastures.
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