Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were
reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded
the awful storms that raged across the ocean, wreaking havoc
on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants
for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached
the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help,
hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy
from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the little
man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed
next door to the hired man's sleeping quarters. Farmer shook
the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir.
I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him
on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had
been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn,
the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.
Nothing could blow away.
Lesson from the Story:
The farmer then understood what his hired man meant,
so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows
through your life? The hired man in the story was able to sleep
because he had secured the farm against the storm.
