November 26, 2020 –
During my sophomore and junior High school years, I worked at picking watermelons in the fields and packing them into semi-trailers. It was hard work and long days. We started at 6:00 a.m. and finished at 7:30 p.m. The temperature in the fields was in the 60s early morning and rose to100 degrees by 2:00 p.m.
The watermelon farmer paid me one dollar per hour, including the lunch hour. Most times, the farmer received one-dollar per melon shipped. I had no problem with the financial arrangement. After all, the farmer was an entrepreneur who owned the land and paid for the seeds, fertilizer, planting costs, shipping costs, and harvesting costs.
My problem was the length of the long rows. Those seemingly unending rows that disappeared in the distance were demoralizing. Why couldn’t the farmer plant shorter rows and let me have a sense of accomplishment? I could quickly work a row with shorter rows of melons and then be on the next row. This action would provide a psychological momentum movement, a sense of accomplishment.
The farmer was interested in productivity and making use of his land. The long rows secured that goal.
Life is like the watermelon row, a long journey. Often I wished I could see the end of the trip and be refreshed with many small victories and not have so many deferred accomplishments. God views our lives in the light of eternity. He wants us to be productive and make use of our time loving Him and our neighbor.