Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Proverbs 3:5
One thing I've noticed this year is how much more self-reliant Kevin and I are becoming. That's a word that can sound counter intuitive for people who try, through faith, not to rely on our own selves, but in God who provides. However, being self-reliant doesn't mean we've abandoned our faith. Actually, I think it means that we've strengthened it.
These are just some examples of how we've been able to use our own skills to maintain our household. I think it takes us back to a time when people utilized these skills more often instead of relying on the convenience of buying everything. Kevin and I are a long way away from becoming full-time homesteaders, but the shift in mindset from purely being consumers to putting our own sweat and elbow grease into our property has made us more appreciative of what we have and more invested in this little plot of land we call home. That shift, I think, has made us more aware of how God has blessed us. We know the work that goes into what we have and what we eat. We appreciate it all the more and know that by God's grace we have been gifted the knowledge, the know-how, and the strength to do the work ourselves.
One thing I've noticed this year is how much more self-reliant Kevin and I are becoming. That's a word that can sound counter intuitive for people who try, through faith, not to rely on our own selves, but in God who provides. However, being self-reliant doesn't mean we've abandoned our faith. Actually, I think it means that we've strengthened it.
- My iron broke recently. I didn't want to simply throw it away. We thought about getting someone to fix it (although, it probably would have been cheaper to buy a new iron). Kevin asked around and eventually decided he could attempt to fix it. He found out what kind of tool he needed to access the wiring inside and was able to borrow one from my dad. In the end, he fixed it!
- I've had some Sure-jell in the pantry for a while that I needed to use. There isn't any fruit in season right now, but I remembered that you could make jelly from store-bought juice. I looked up the instructions to be sure. It was true--commercial grape or apple juice could be used. So, I bought some and made my first batch. Worked like a charm!
- We're beginning to get some seeds planted for this year's garden. I've planted some okra, tomatoes, and pinto beans using seeds I had left over from last year. We're looking to expand our garden this year by trying straw bale planting techniques. We're looking forward to seeing how much we can increase our crop yield.
These are just some examples of how we've been able to use our own skills to maintain our household. I think it takes us back to a time when people utilized these skills more often instead of relying on the convenience of buying everything. Kevin and I are a long way away from becoming full-time homesteaders, but the shift in mindset from purely being consumers to putting our own sweat and elbow grease into our property has made us more appreciative of what we have and more invested in this little plot of land we call home. That shift, I think, has made us more aware of how God has blessed us. We know the work that goes into what we have and what we eat. We appreciate it all the more and know that by God's grace we have been gifted the knowledge, the know-how, and the strength to do the work ourselves.