God Made a Farmer

Sorry the embedding of the video isn't working...or at least it isn't for me. Here's the link to the commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE

I'll be the first to admit that I often watch the Super Bowl mostly for the commercials. In past years I have become disenchanted with those commercials. Many times I was watching with teenage students or young children and I was extremely uncomfortable, sometimes even disgusted, with how companies felt they needed to use more and more sexual content to "lure" the viewers. So much for teaching values all day long...hard to fight against what they were being bombarded with during those 4 hours.

Finally, finally, I had that feeling completely changed this year. While sitting and watching with my fiance and his dad, a commercial came on that immediately had all of us spellbound. We watched in silence as the voice of Paul Harvey came over the air. Just his voice alone has a huge impact on me and my connection with farming. As a child, I would hear his voice nearly every morning or afternoon during the school year. I can't remember if it was before or after school, possibly both, but it was one of the most vivid memories I have from riding the bus for nearly an hour. I usually listened with great interest at the story he was telling, and many times was more than a little irritated when my stop arrived and I didn't get to hear "the rest of the story."

This time I got to hear the whole story. And I soon realized it was one I already knew. It was MY story. As he talked about the dedication and heartache (along with triumphs) of a farmer, I sat there and KNEW what he was talking about. I can't say every single one of them applied to me personally, but it applied to my dad and so many other farmers I know. I almost cried as I listened to Paul Harvey tell what is required of a farmer.

He emphasized things I already knew. However, as I thought about the ad the next day and read and heard many people discussing how wonderful the ad was, I started thinking about why it left such a huge impact. Unfortunately I was disappointed with my conclusion.

I concluded two things. #1: It left such a huge impact because it talked openly about God and used His name many times in the very short ad during one of, if not THE largest television event of the year. In our day and age, we are shunned for talking about our God openly. We are told to keep our opinions to ourselves while being force fed someone else's religion, politics, etc. I'm ashamed to say that I have many times withheld talking about God in a very natural conversation because I didn't want someone to think that I was "forcing" Him on them.

#2: It left an impact because no one ever defends farmers these days...actually, people are usually attacking them. Whether it is because they "abuse" an animal by keeping it in a pen that is actually serving to protect it from some sort of danger, or because they are using technology to their advantage to make farming more efficient. We are being told to feed more and more people but use less and less ground.

Both of these topics are so near and dear to me that I can't even begin to seperate myself from them. As a farmer, I depend on God to get me through the times like we are in now. Trying to grow crops or feed livestock in a drought like the one we are in defies all logic. Yet, I know that I love and believe in providing food for others who can't provide their own. My faith in God allows me to know that no matter what happens with my income or crop, I will still be serving Him in some way and He will get me through those times.

Some people were nitpicking that Paul Harvey exaggerated on God's words. I don't think what he did really exaggerated on much of anything. I think instead it actually put them into a context that made some people understand them better and perhaps made them a little uncomfortable. God created man to watch over and care for the earth and the animals. Yet people even today are complaining about the fact that cats kill too many birds. Humans are the worst at disrupting the natural food chain that is intended to happen. We are the only animals that go against what is supposed to be natural and then we wonder why things get all out of whack? In Minnesota where my sister lives, they hardly ever see deer. They don't see deer because wolves have not been hunted and the population is starting to get out of control again. So, they opened wolf hunting back up this year. I know some people are irresponsible, but when you mess with the natural order then things get messed up.

If anyone was offended by the ad, then they truly don't understand the nature of farming. Yes, we have some bad seeds among us. But I dare you to look at any profession and only find people in it that are fault-free.

I'm tired of defending my profession. I'm tired of defending my faith. Looking back, maybe I'll start to "defend" myself by saying one simple phrase.

Those four words will hopefully continue to leave an impact long after the Super Bowl commercial is forgotten. After all, "God made a farmer."