Are you questioning the empty, frenzied paced, and fast food lifestyle taking over our country?
Almost anytime I hear the news these days, there's a story of senseless death, violence, or crime. I rarely watch it anymore. It saddens me to see these stories and where society seems to want to head.
Compared to many families and main stream society, I realize my family isn't common. We grow a large vegetable garden, raise our own natural grass fed beef, can, cook and prepare our food as much as possible from scratch, and we firmly believe that Jesus Christ is our risen Lord and Savior.
You might be asking yourself why I listed the things above in the same sentence. I believe that homesteading practices enrich our faith and help bring us closer to God. Note: I do not believe that the act of homesteading itself will bring you closer to God, but it's helped me to feel His presence more deeply.
I believe our lifestyle influences our faith and it will yours too. How homesteading brings you closer to God.
1. It forces you to slow down. When we rush things, we forget to look and see God's hand in it. Tweet this There is no way to rush an animals growth (because we use organic practices in our livestock and plants). Your chickens won't lay eggs before a certain age, your cattle aren't large enough to butcher or breed before a certain time, and your garden won't be ready to harvest before a certain number of days. You have to sit back and allow things to go through their natural process.
2. You must have faith. We don't visibly get to reach out and touch God. When you plant a seed in the ground, you have to have faith that it will sprout and bear food for your family, even when you can't first touch it.
3. You must listen. You can't have a relationship or grow closer to someone unless you listen to what they say to you. Just as you learn to discern when your chickens are fussing among themselves or there's a predator in their midst, you have to learn to hear God when He speaks to you.
4. Spending time in His creation. When you're surrounded by technology and man made things, you lose a connection with God. When you're fingers are digging in the dirt and you're surrounded by the plants He brought forth, you can't help but begin to see Him in other areas of your life.
5. Memory verses. So many of the parables of the Bible have to do with gardening and cooking. When I'm kneading my bread dough, I remember that a little yeast leavens all the dough. Galatians 5:9 Even a little bit of sin affects the entire body. When I'm preparing our soil for planting, I remember the parable of the sower from Luke 8:6.
There are many reasons to begin your own homesteading journey, and having a huge farm or ranch isn't necessary. Anyone can be a homesteader and my book, Pioneering Today-Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way, can do just that.
We are several generations into a lifestyle that is very similar to homesteading, cattle ranching in a remote rural location. The longer we are here, the more we find ourselves coming full circle and returning to the same tasks my husband’s grand and great grand parents performed such as cooking from scratch and making homemade products for daily use. I feel that the homesteading way of life allows me to focus on God more fully without the separation between faith and daily living so many struggle with.
Becky,
I just learned this week a tip that was passed from my grandmother. Funny how progress isn’t always a better thing. 🙂
Hi Melissa,
I agree that homesteading brings me closer to God… for all the reasons you listed and one more that I would add.
In order to pursue a homesteading lifestyle and location I had to give up a good bit of my income. After much prayer, I realized that God was telling me that he’d meet my needs as long as I trusted in Him for those needs. (As He’s told all of us forever 🙂 In making the switch from corporate job/city life to part-time self-employed in the country homestead life, I’ve had the privilege of recognizing God’s provisions for my life on a daily basis. I’m doing the work and counting on Him to meet my needs in my garden, my chicken house, etc. He’s always faithful! Life is richer now, with less money but a much closer walk with God.
Kate,
Excellent point! Yes, often times I’ve had to watch for God’s provision instead of my own.