Page 7 - Good News May2008 paper

ears ago, a farmer owned on the spot. Instead, he hurried
land along the Atlantic outside to prepare for the
Yseacoast. He constantly storm.
advertised for hired hands. To his amazement, he dis-
Most people were reluctant to covered that all of the hay-
work on farms along the stacks had been covered with
Atlantic. They dreaded the tarpaulins. The cows were in
awful storms that raged across the barn, the chickens were in
the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the coops, and the doors were
the buildings and crops. As the barred. The shutters were
farmer interviewed applicants tightly secured. Everything
for the job, he received a steady was tied down. Nothing could
stream of refusals. blow away.
Finally, a short, thin man, well The farmer then understood
past middle age, approached what his hired hand meant, so
the farmer. he returned to his bed to also
'Are you a good farm hand?' sleep while the wind blew.
the farmer asked him. MORAL OF THE STORY:
'Well, I can sleep when the wind When you are prepared, spirit-
blows,' answered the little man. ually, mentally, and physically,
Although puzzled by this you have nothing to fear.
answer, the farmer, desperate Can you sleep when the wind
for help, hired him. blows through your life? The
The little man worked well hired hand in the story was able
around the farm, busy from to sleep because he had
dawn to dusk, and the farmer secured the farm against the
felt satisfied with the man's storm. We secure ourselves
work. against the storms of life by
Then one night the wind how- grounding ourselves in the
led loudly in from offshore. Word of God. We don't need to
Jumping out of bed, the farmer understand, we just need to
grabbed a lantern and rushed hold His hand to have peace in
next door to the hired hand's the middle of storms.
sleeping quarters. "Therefore, every [one] who
He shook the little man and hears these words of Mine and
yelled, 'Get up! A storm is does them, I will compare him
coming! Tie things down to a wise man who built his
before they blow away!' house on the solid rock; and
The little man rolled over in bed the rain came down, and the
and said firmly, 'No sir. I told floods came, and the winds
you, I can sleep when the wind blew, and they beat against that
blows.' house, and it did not fall, for it
Enraged by the response, the had been founded on the solid
farmer was tempted to fire him rock" (Matt. 7:24-25).