The sower of Curahuasi
Vincent van Gogh’s painting hangs in our living room. It evokes many associations. Life is hard and in the old book it is written that we should eat our bread by the sweat of our brow. Psalm 126 expresses it a little more hopefully: “But he who sows with tears will reap with joy!”
Curahuasi. Yesterday morning, an elderly farmer struggled through the furrows of his field. As in biblical times, he sowed and hoped that his efforts would pay off.
At Diospi Suyana we are also sowing a seed. In the children’s clubs we encourage the boys and girls. At school, the students learn for life. In the hospital, we invest medicine and know-how to heal patients or alleviate pain. In the media center, the seed is sown over the airwaves in five southern states of Peru. And at the end of April, thousands of festival participants become one big field. And nothing is for free. Those who travel with God’s blessing will reap a strong harvest.
Psalm 127 makes the following statement: “Unless the LORD builds the house, all the labor of the builders is in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchmen keep watch in vain. You get up early in the morning and don’t rest until late in the evening to eat your hard-earned bread. But without God’s blessing, it’s all in vain!”
When I was a little boy, I heard this verse. Today I know it’s true. /KDJ
