What's My Story
Under Standing My Shared Purpose
Ian
I struggled with why I had to give up my education to come home and take over the family farm because of the health of my father. As the oldest of 4 children I was told as I turned 15 and only 2 years of High School, that I had to do this or the family farm would have to be sold. I was still struggling with this, and I was asking the Lord, was there a special reason why I was there and what was I was suppose to learn from this. I was not too fulfilled with life at that stage.
I still did my best and onered my Father and Mother and so did a good a job as I could even though at times I was making decisions and doing my things a way above my station.
At age 17, I was sitting on the back of a farm trailer which was going around and around paddock spreading on dry fertiliser. I was required to tip in a large bag of fertiliser into a a hopper about every 5 minutes or so.
As I sat on those bags waiting to load in the next one into the hopper there was a very strong bright light shinning in my face and I heard a very clear audible voice say " what you are doing spreading fertilizer on to the grass is worthless unless I provide the sun and rain to make it grow"
Boy was that a blow to me, like I had been hit with a 4 x 2 . I new so clearly that I could do nothing in the days ahead
without including the Lord, if I wanted to succeed in my life and my shared walk with him.
I stood up the front of church next Sunday and dedicated my life to the Lord.
I now felt at peace and new I was was where I was suppose to be and therefore could justify why I was working the Farm and not furthering my education towards being a Veterinarian as was my strong desire since I was 10 years old.
Because of that understanding that day, I new that the Lord was close by me always and as his work says , therefore I will have everlasting life with him here on earth and the after life, where ever that may be.
This understanding was to be my security for my life and faith was to be tested to the fullest just 18 months latter, when I fell 28/30 feet through a Saw Mill roof onto a pile of concrete blocks.
I got up from that fall and walked away and was back managing the farm again 5 weeks later, where I felt I was suppose to be at that time.
Ian