Everyday Discernment

A story is told of two young men a long time ago. They were likable fellows, but lacked discernment. Their mischievous ways turned serious when they began stealing sheep from local farmers. Their wrongs finally caught up with them. The authorities of the day decided the boys punishment would be to be branded with the letters "ST" on their foreheads. That way folks would always know that these two men were "sheep thieves".

The older boy never recovered from his poor choices and the stigma given him. He was angry for getting caught. He considered himself a victim. And blamed others for his own prideful mistakes. He died a lonely and bitter man.

The younger boy however saw the error of his ways. He asked for and was given forgiveness by God and the local farmers. He decided to overcome his past and take his life in a more serving and productive direction. He worked hard and made an honest living. He helped anyone that asked. He shared his money. He became an asset in his community. Thanks for letting me borrow a picture.

We have all failed and made mistakes. However our failures are not as destructive as how we react, respond, and restart from those mistakes. Discernment is to comprehend. To grasp what isn't always obvious. To get a sense of how things are looking. And to be brave enough to say, "Hey, I screwed up. I'm going to get up, dust myself off, and try again". We live in a culture today where what we are being told isn't always right.

There comes a time in winter when one needs to call it a year. And prepare and look forward to the next season. It's kind of like when farming all night. There comes a time to stop, take a shower, have a cup of coffee, and get ready for another new day. BJ brought his tile plow home. We pulled it in the shop. And this week it gets four rebuilt hydraulic motors.

Mike still has a dozer in the field. However this past week he bought a $20 bucket of grease to keep his blade shiny while it's parked. Mike has scheduled mid February for his equipment to come in the shop and get checked out. Thanks for the picture Mike.

This week Dean, Jim, Alex, and Mike completely rebuilt our anhydrous toolbar. Even though it's relatively new, because of many acres, it was due for a good going over.

Remember when I mentioned buying spices in Cayman? Well, they were put to good use this past week as Mike grilled burgers and brats for us during our winter noon hours.

Helen, the patriarch of Walmart, once said, "It's not what you gather (get). But what you scatter (give) that determines what kind of life you've lived". Winter is a time in the farming business to discern where we've been (inventory). Where we're at (balance sheet). And where we're headed (projected cash flow). In the old days it was called doing books. I have a bank appointment Monday with Brian to discuss all these things.

Winter is also the time to decide what's working and what's not in the crop business. Becks hosts PFR (practical farm research) meetings. It's not about what seed to use. Karl and I have that mostly finished already with ours and our customer's acres. PFR tests what works and what doesn't on how those crop acres are managed. As briefly as possible, a few take a ways from this past week's meeting for improved profitability. Corn: Early planting. New style closing wheels. Split nitrogen. And fungicide application at tassel. Beans: 3rd pass fungicide at R3. Early planting. Seed treatment. And lower population. These four management choices for each corn and beans have proven to have a return on investment after three years of trials.

Discernment is the ability to distinguish between truth and deception. I don't know this fellow. I hope he doesn't mind me using his picture. His name is Paul. And this past week he was stopped by a security guard in a mall in Minnesota. And asked to take his shirt off because of what it said. Also this week a hockey player was criticized for refusing to wear a jersey that displayed a pride flag and promoted a lifestyle different than the Bible teaches. Kudos to these fellows. What are the rest of us, including our supposedly conservative leadership in DC, doing, to try and expose, and then stop our countries blatant disregard for God and obvious attempts to control what we do and don't believe.

I have some defaults in my mind on our Sunday morning visits. Keep things as short as possible while still telling the whole story. Point upwards. Try and tell stories that are interesting or informative. And keep things positive. So when it comes to pandemics, mandates, politics, our countries culture decline, and the apathy of those watching things happen, I sometimes write in riddles, have you use discernment, and read between the lines. I'm thinking of getting braver in 2023.

Wrapping up our opening story: Many years later some children asked their parents what the "ST" meant on the older gentleman's forehead. Folks around couldn't really remember. However they decided it meant "Saint" based on the older gentleman's attitude and generosity. Discernment gives one the chance to change for the better. It is the ability to dispel confusion on a daily basis. Discernment is a quiet gift, and usually comes from a humble heart. Thanks for the knife Matt. Thanks to all of you for stopping by. Think on your own. Use your gift of discernment. Believe. And make the last full week of January a good one.