Plow a New Field
by Donna Mumma
(Isaiah 65:17,ESV).
My dad farmed. Every year I watched him plow a field on our dairy farm to prepare for a new crop. A freshly turned field held the hopes of a bountiful harvest and great things to come.
But some years, the crops suffered from bad weather, insect infestations, or unknown causes of ruin. Our harvest proved smaller than expected. The money we had hoped for failed to materialize. Our best-laid plans withered.
Like all true farmers, Daddy never looked back. Farmers accept the logic that these things happen in their business. Instead of lamenting or stressing, he hooked up his plow and turned the soil in a different field. New fields hold promise. Farmers cannot risk sacrificing promise by looking back at a failed crop.
As writers, we can relate to the farmer’s plight. Some years we may enjoy a productive crop of writing successes and see many projects come to our audiences. Other years we may struggle to get our work noticed or represented. Our book sales could reap less than we’d projected and hoped. Negative reviews might cast doubt on our ability and tarnish the promise of a new book or article. The temptation to dwell on a bad year can wither our plans for the future.
The farmer’s logic encourages us not to waste our writing promises of fresh seasons, projects, and opportunities by looking back. Isaiah reminds us God makes everything new. We can forget about what happened by trusting in God’s word. We can face the new year and the hope it brings.
No matter what happened in 2019, we get to start fresh. Our past season turns over with the soil into a memory as we plow the fields of 2020 with divine promise.
Happy New Year and happy writing to all of you!
Gracious Father, thank you for allowing us new beginnings, new hopes and promises with this coming year. May we all embrace this gift and keep looking ahead to what you have planned for us. Amen.
Donna Mumma writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction seasoned with a sense of adventure and suspense. An avid believer in education, she holds a M.Ed. in Elementary Education. She serves as a chapter mentor for Word Weavers International. A native Floridian, Donna lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband. She is the mom of two college boys and an energetic collie named Duke. Connect with her at www.donnamumma.me, Instagram @mumma704, Twitter@DonnaMumma1 and Facebook.
This devotional has truly inspired me today. This is such a great perspective to go into the new year with. Thank you for these words of encouragement.
Well done. Happy New Year as you put your hand to the plow (keyboard).