As a farmer, I’ve done my share of worrying. I mean, it’s hard not to, right?
There are so many uncontrollables in farming that I’ve often found myself worrying about things, even though I knew I had no control over them. There’s a lot at stake in farming today. Something on the farm or in society can change in a single day and turn the outlook for the year from great to not so great. The problem is, worrying never seemed to do anything except make me more anxious and irritable. I could be unpleasant to be around when I didn’t feel I was in control. But worrying never improved that or anything else. It never changed the outcome of any situation or made anything better. But thanks to help from my wife Becky, I found a solution.
It’s called contingency planning.
I always had a plan for the day or week in my head, but I never had a more comprehensive plan that included workable options if things didn’t go as originally planned. Having options already planned out ahead of time really changed the way I run my operation and took away almost all my worry. And the embarrassing thing is, the solution was so simple. But along with contingency planning, I keep Matthew 6:25-34 in my mind. It talks about not needing to worry, and why worry is a fruitless act. Those verses help me keep everything in perspective. Get rid of your worries by creating a contingency plan. It will bring more joy and happiness to your life.
“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”
—Daniel Webster