When was the last time you were on a farm? Ever? This past week I had the opportunity to visit my dear friend, Pattie, at her new home which happens to be a farm.

I’ve always known Pattie to be a city girl. She and her family lived in the heart of the city, near Little Five Points, and loved the hustle and bustle of the city life. She loved walking to restaurants and getting around town on MARTA, the subway system of Atlanta. The idea of her moving to a farm made me immediately think of the old television show, Green Acres.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/umS3XM3xAPk[/youtube]

Pattie has totally embraced her new lifestyle. She loves it and honestly, after spending a day with her, it seemed like she has always lived on a farm.

They live in a beautiful, little rock house on acres and acres of land. She has goats and chickens and plans of add more animals down the road.

Pattie wanted me to have the full experience, so she made the goats and chickens wait until I got there to have their breakfast. She wanted me to feed them.

As we went around to the side of the house to serve breakfast, I was stopped in my tracks by the peaceful view of the lake behind their home. It was so still and quiet, well, except for the chickens letting me know they were ready to eat. It was stunning. I found myself wanting to sit by the lake and just be still and quiet for a while. It was so inviting.

After feeding the animals, Pattie grabbed the keys to the Polaris and said we had an adventure awaiting us. We were heading to the cornfields to cut down cornstalks for fall decorations. We road over the creek and through the woods until we came upon the cornfields. She pulled out a machete and we began picking out cornstalks to chop down for her fall decorations. There was something very Ann Voskampish about watching her make her way through the fields, finding such joy in the simple things.

When we returned from the fields, Pattie had a snack of scuppernongs waiting for us. She pulled out bowls and went through a complete explanation of how to eat them and how fabulous they tasted. We sat at the kitchen table like two children sucking on scuppernongs with juice running down our chins laughing our heads off.

Before I left, Pattie wanted to make sure I had the full farm experience. She picked up her goat, Nelli, and asked me to give her my phone. As she reached for my phone, she dumped her fat goat in my arms. She squealed like a child as she took picture after picture of me holding Nelli. She was thrilled. My farm trip was now complete. I had held a goat. A very fat goat, too, I might add.

As I drove back into the city pondering about my day, I couldn’t help but think Pattie has bloomed right where God has planted her. When she lived in the city, she lived in it. She was involved with a ministry in the city, she shopped in the city, ate at the local restaurants in the city, and embraced her city life.

Once transplanted to a quiet little farm with animals and crops, she chose to live there. She isn’t just living it, but she is thriving in it.

So many of us are only half living, looking for what’s coming around the corner, what we hope will bbetter job, better home, better school, better stage of life. We miss out on so much because we’re living in the future instead of in the present. We need to trust that the Lord has our days numbered and only He knows what they will be [Job 14:5].

We don’t want to miss out on the blessing of what is because we so focused on the what will be.

Trust that God’s plans are for us and there is something to be learned and experienced where we are [Jeremiah 29:11].

Slow down, take a deep breath and be present. See what God has for you today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Don’t bypass the joy and blessings of today because you’re too focused on tomorrow.