“They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another inhabit; They will not plant and another eat; For the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen will wear out the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:21-23).
Hey Gang,
When I get a case of the blahs or feel the pressures of the day bearing down on
me, I tend to run for the book shelve and take down the very well-worn Book
of Amish Proverbs. As a truck driver
that visited more than fifty Amish farms, I learned what contentment looks
like.
In the Book 0f
Amish Proverbs there is the story of a young lad who had injured his ankle
badly enough that his mother took him to a doctor. After a period of waiting the young lad
became irritated that it was taking so long.
Across from them sat a young Amish couple. The young mother had injured her shoulder and
was in great pain.
Finally, the
nurse came out and called for the Amish couple to see the doctor. The Amish husband remarked, see that was not
so bad, we only had to wait an hour.
The mother nudged the boy and said, See, you wanted things right now,
the Amish are satisfied to ‘wait’.”
To the
Amish, waiting is an attitude that is taught to their children throughout their
formative years. They wait for spring to
plow and plant, for autumn to reap and harvest.
They know there is nothing they can do to speed up natures process. In their three-hour plus worship times,
usually in one of the family farms, (no padded seats) they take to heart the
words of the Psalmist, “Rest in the
Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7 KJV).
Time is a
non-essential ingredient in the Amish life.
As Amos Zook said, ‘We live by “sun time” and I do not recall ever being
concerned about the time. We base our time on sun up, noon, and dark time. Many Amish homes do not have clocks. They recognize and firmly believe that
patience is a key part of God’s character.
As one
Amishman said, “It is hard to be in much of a rush in a buggy pulled by horse.” It’s as if they live their life with unlimited
amounts of time, as if they have a toe- hold on eternity.
I love the
Amish proverbs. Their belief is that
common sayings promote patience as a virtue.
Is that not neat? Lean back, take
a deep breath and read though some of these sayings, some go back hundreds of
years:
“It takes a century for God to make
a sturdy oak.”
“Harvest comes not every day.”
“A hand full of patience is worth
more than a bushel of brains.”
“Some people never learn anything
because they know everything to soon.”
“The reason some people get lost in
thought is because it is unfamiliar territory.
“You can tell when you are on the
right track – it is mostly up hill.”
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
“Remember when you talk you only repeat what you already
know, if you listen, you might learn something”.
To these I
add one hillbilly proverb that has been a part of my heritage: “it is best to
remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt."
I firmly
believe our world to wired to tight. One only has only to drive on our Nation’s
highways to see the frantic displays of getting there one second sooner. I do
not believe that is God’s way. The Amish
also have a saying that they title, ‘Time Thieves’, included are television,
radio, newspapers. In my many years of
working with delinquent and problem kids, I have never received a referral of a
Amish child.
And so, my
friends, may I suggest you hang the following verse on one of those hooks in
your cranium and pull it out every morning before you start your day: “Let
every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man
does not produce the righteousness of God“(James 12:19-20).
Blessings,
Gramps
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