We just finished a sermon series at our church about remembering. I was reading Psalm 65:10 which reminded me of my youth, growing up on a farm.
You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
and bless its abundant crops.
To be clear, I grew up on a farm, but I was no farmer. My dad, Terry Hughes, worked as a dairy farmer for most of my youth. He started working on a farm milking cows as a teenager. The verse above reminded me of a conversation we had about a plow. He was explaining that the blades looked polished because the quality of the dirt in Indiana was good and stone free. He was comparing it to how the blades looked in New York where he grew up. Those blades were scratched and beat up due to the rocky soil.
My dad taught us much as we grew up. Sometimes he used words, but his actions spoke volumes. Here are some of the key lessons I learned.
- Trust God. He became a Christian because of the influence of the first farmer he worked for. He made sure we were in church so we could learn about Jesus as well. He baptized me, bringing this legacy of faith full circle.
- Love your wife. Growing up, we saw him flirt with mom all the time. Later, we saw him drop everything so he could be with her while she took care of her mom.
- Work hard. We saw the incredible work ethic on the farm and everywhere else he worked. I definitely took this to heart. My career was a direct result of these lessons.
One more story about his impact on my life. We were at his parents over Thanksgiving. We were sitting at the bar in the kitchen. I was on my holiday break my senior year of college. I was engaged to Sheila, and we were planning our wedding next summer. My dad said that I should leave school next semester to get some money before the wedding. I was planning to go an additional year so it would work. This was the first time I remember my dad giving me direct advice. I decided to take his advice. That decision changed the trajectory of my life! I changed colleges, we lived in the Czech Republic for 10 months, we found Grace Church, and I started my career in data.
That was a life-changing decision! I trusted God and followed his command to honor my father and mother. My family is a living legacy of that advice. I only hope that I am having the same impact on my children.
Thanks Dad!
I hope this story of love, life lessons, and legacy encourages you to remember those people and decisions that showed God’s hand in your life.
Comments are closed