I keep asking myself if I want to homestead. I recently had the opportunity to take care of some chickens and rabbits, a perfect way to see if I am cut out for that type of work. Maybe it’s just the voices of others that said I would hate that kind of life since they did… But I loved it. I love talking to sassy chickens and caring for small animals. I loved seeing the different types of eggs we got each day and seeing the amount pile up while the rest of the world was paying 8 dollars for a dozen eggs. I loved the idea of doing this on my land one day with goats, quail, sheep, or other farm animals. Pair that with a thriving garden or greenhouse, I am sold.
I think the strange question to ask is if I am cut out for the 9-5 life. Stressful mornings fueled by coffee or energy drinks, working endless hours at a place too far from my home and family just to make another person rich while I pick up the crumbs. That life is horrendous to me. How did we get here?
I get a certain kind of joy when my fingernails are filled with soil while planting new vegetables, or when I smell the fresh-cut grass or bite into the first apple of the season. God gave us this earth to subdue and work it… and somehow we have gotten to the place where we do unnecessary jobs to make corporations happy while our fresh veggies cost three times as much as the canned ones. And too bad if you developed a sensitivity to pesticides because most produce is sprayed with them down to the wheat and barley. What kind of life is that? I don’t know about you but I do not put my trust in men who have more money than is physically possible to work for when they tell me to eat this or take that. Maybe that makes me a cavewoman who wants to own chickens and grow her food but I think we may have gotten it twisted.
In high school we read Walden about Life in the Woods by David Thoreau and how he liked living alone in a sufficient log cabin where his simple life got him everything he needed. I can’t say I am anything like that. But it is inspiring that his idea made him do something that today is more radical than when he wrote it.
Since I was young I have had this theory that if God put us here on this earth he wouldn’t leave us without the resources we needed to stay alive and live for him. So when people live these extremely extravagant lifestyles with tons of money, cars, makeup, and every trending item they can get ahold of, it makes me wonder if they know the true wealth we have with Jesus. Or that we have wealth just living on this earth and being able to fend for ourselves and provide for our family. That is a freedom money cannot replace and it has been the original plan for us from God in the beginning. That is the life I strive to get to. So yes, I want to homestead and that is exactly the type of work I find fulfilling and worth my energy and time.
I often worry if that life will leave me bored, but quickly God corrects me and reminds me of books, art, children, and living outside and how that never grows boring. What is boring is the lifestyle I live addicted to my phone with friends in my life who would never care about me enough to die for me. That makes God my best friend and biggest supporter. He will always give me enough to live with and to learn. He always has new revelations in the Bible and when I feel lonely he goes with me and talks to me wherever I go. God provides, and if we simplify our lives it will be easier and easier to see when he provides us with abundance.
That is my goal with the homesteading lifestyle. It will bring joy and entertainment to my family, it will help me to work hard and worship the Lord, and it will sustain my family and me in a way that does much less harm to the planet. It’s a win-win. The only downside is maybe the hard work, but we all have to work hard at something, and maybe the social exclusion. But honestly, those are the people and places I want to be excluded from- the ones who don’t value life like I do. This way of life may not be for everyone and that is perfectly okay. Some people love modern technology and convenience, I am just a bit old-fashioned.
I am welcoming the kind of life where I put a bit more work into my house than outside of it. Where I feed children and animals before myself. Where things are harder but the long-run benefits outweigh the hardships. Where when the world can’t afford groceries and stores shut down, my yard provides all I need for food. The kind of life where my old lady skills help more than just me and my family, where I can teach and play and run as much as the Lord allows. Where food is homemade and love is overflowing. This is something I hope to teach my children one day as a form of generational wealth, knowledge and skills are so valuable.
I will romanticize this life because I rather that than agreeing with the nightmare we are living in right now. I will not give in to the idea of working my life away to make someone else rich while lettuce, eggs, and chicken are being recalled in the stores where I get all my food. I refuse to be blind and helpless in this age, and I encourage you to do so as well as much as you can. Keep praying and trusting in the Lord. He has good works for you, it is your job to do them. Thank you, God for this good earth you chose us to subdue.
Homesteading Honey 