Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. was our pastor when I was licensed to the Gospel Ministry. He was a heavy man and admitted he was big even as a boy. Whenever he was preaching and got close to Galatians 6:7, he would tell the same story. Being able to tell the same story repeatedly as if it were the first time is an artform passed from generation to generation, and not just to preachers. He would recount being assigned one hot muggy day to plant seven rows of corn in the backyard garden. The rows were already tilled. He was given the bag of seed corn and a round measuring stick. The assignment was to poke a hole in the soil, place one seed in it, then cover it over. He was to lay the stick down and poke a hole at the other end, and so on until all the rows were planted. To hear him tell it, he thought he would die after the third seed (not row, seed.) He was sweating, he was dirty, his knees hurt, and his back was beginning to ache. By the time he got to the top of the third row, he was through, but not with the planting. He made up some excuses to go in, but his father sent him right back out to finish the job. He made a couple more half-hearted attempts to sow his seed, then sat down at the top of his row by the fence. Young Homer was leaning on the back fence when he got the idea. He would plant the first 3 or 4 seeds at the front of the remaining rows and bury the rest of the seed in a hole in the back corner. His parents were so proud of him. He was so proud of himself for getting away with it.
The seeds he planted that day were exceptionally good seeds. The stalks would grow tall and provide sweet corn for the dinner table. But it only took a couple of weeks for his deception to be discovered by his father. The gardener always tends the details—looking for bugs and weeds and mischief. Homer Sr. noticed the empty rows behind the tender shoots of corn. It was a mystery. Were there hungry birds or animals raiding his garden? Eventually he saw the messy clump beginning to sprout by the fence. A time of questioning, a time of confession, a time of repentance and discipline; judgment day arrived for Homer Jr. (See Galatians 6:7-10)
Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. We reap what we sow. Let’s experience the love and power of God together while we are apart.
