August 13, 2023
Walking into the farmhouse one evening I found Granddad reading his bible and he looked up at me and slowly shaking his head he said: “Nothin’ like an ole fool!” I grinned a bit as I was a young buck and certainly had all the answers! But that statement of inner reflection made an impression on me as I struggled to understand the depth of the words he had just said.
Well Granddad had a hard life and maybe you can identify with him! When his father became ill he had to come home from seminary to run the family farm which he helped carve out of wooded rocky land with hand saws and a plow pulled by his horse. His first wife died after the birth of their third child and he then remarried and had another two children. He was able to farm through the great Depression, World Wars and epidemics. He suffered with crop failures, livestock issues and losses, and equipment breakdowns. He witnessed family strive between his children that still has not healed. Through it all, he faithfully taught Sunday school for over 40 years. So, through that small glimpse of his life, what do you think he meant by that statement? With all of those battle scars one would assume a fellow like that had gained a lot of wisdom. Perhaps his hope for the future and family reconciliation to him seemed glum and he would also tell you that he was not a perfect man. But it was oblivious to me that he loved the Lord.
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