Filling The Earth

Filling the Earth

[God said,] “Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:28

Have you lived in one place or many? Have you discovered that wherever you live, God is there providing for you? The Amish experience this when they move to a new area.

With a church doctrine that prohibits birth control, Amish families are predictably large. When you combine big families with a culture that still makes an attempt at agrarianism (you won’t find Amish families living in the Bronx or suburban Chicago), you can end up with land shortages in some settlements. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was once home to the largest population of Amish in the United States. Holmes County, Ohio, has since surpassed its Keystone neighbor, but Amish populations in Pennsylvania still have limited room to grow. One solution is simply to move someplace far away and start a settlement from scratch. Late spring is a good time to journey to a new destination, so that families can have the summer to settle in before the arrival of a new school year.

Sometimes it’s easier to look at the problem—more people than available land nearby. Instead, we need to look at what God has done in the past and trust Him for the future. He is the giver of life, and when we have a place of our own to flourish on—no matter where that is—it is a gift from God.

I’ve made two cross-country moves. Each place has been a gift, and I’ve discovered a unique beauty in the seasons. There have been varied local cultures, and my family has made lifelong friends.

“With my great strength and powerful arm I made the earth and all its people and every animal. I can give these things of mine to anyone I choose,” we read in Jeremiah 27:5. Where are you currently living? God has a plan for you there—a place for you. He has chosen to plant you where you are for a reason.

Dear heavenly Father, sometimes I feel that situations out of my control have moved me where I am. I’m thankful, Lord, that even during the times I can’t see the plan, You always have one, and that the place where I lay my head is a gift from You.