Straight Rows

“No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

Decades ago, I asked a farmer friend how he kept the rows so straight as he plowed. Never thinking his reply would one day be printed as a devotional thought, I am thankful I remember what he told me. To keep the rows straight, he found something in the distance ahead, fixated his gaze on that point, and plowed his way towards it. I asked if there was any significance for keeping the rows straight. He replied that straight rows merely represented pride in the work.

Straight rows showed there was no looking back once the work started. What would have happened if there was the slightest distraction as the farmer plowed? Course deviation—crooked rows. The crookedness of rows does not affect a crop, but the field looks inconsistent.

Jesus was clear in His command to the man. He simply said, “Follow Me” (v. 59). Jesus called him to preach about the Kingdom of God. The man replied he would follow but not until after his father’s death. It seems a hard saying for Jesus to call this man to follow, expecting him to leave the care of his father to the hands of someone else, even another family member. His duty as the eldest son was to care for his aged father and supply a proper burial when the time came. By requesting first to bury his father, he had not fully surrendered to follow the Lord. Looking back, not entrusting his family to the Lord, he created a crooked row.

 Wanting to follow Christ is correct, but desire alone will not assure your place in God’s work or family. If He calls you to a particular task and you reply, “I will follow, but first . . .,” you have placed Him second, saying He made a mistake in that calling.

When you decide the “what if,” “wait until,” or “but first” before answering God’s call to follow Him is the same as looking back, plowing with your family as the focal point, places God behind you, and that produces crooked rows. The remedy? Trust your life and family with God—trust His timing. As you fix your eyes on Jesus, put your hands to the plow and dig into the work that lies ahead. The result? Straight rows.