Before we got married, my husband and I made one thing very clear: we did not want to farm. We didn’t want the commitment or heavy demands of agricultural life. But God had other plans! In the spring of 2002, during our first year of marriage, we planted our very first garden. It was completely unsuccessful. Nothing went the way we planned, and it would have been easy to quit right there, but we didn’t give up. We tried again the next year, and little by little, each season’s harvest got better.

The cool weather on the farm last week was a good reminder that even though it’s early in the summer, its abundance will not continue forever. This made processing over 1400 pounds of pasture-raised chickens and a beef a very pleasant experience. The mild temperatures also helped our edible mushrooms thrive and made weeding and all the routine work around the farm feel less like a sauna.

Last week on the farm our oldest son Caleb turned 20. He was hoping to be moved into his house by his birthday, but he has learned that sometimes things take a little longer than you expect. There have been many challenges with building his house. He has had to learn how to do almost everything as he goes (such as how to install a septic tank and chimney, how to build cupboards and lay flooring, etc.) redo some of his work, and learned a lot about perseverance and patience since he’s doing this without debt.

Have you ever started something with great excitement, such as a new business, a house project, a garden, or a craft and found yourself discouraged or struggling to persevere through the trials? My husband and I aren’t scared to do much, so we take on a lot of projects. I’m thankful we do, but it always carries those unanticipated struggles.