Subdue the Earth

sub·due   /səbˈdu, -ˈdyu/ [suhb-doo, -dyoo] - verb (used with object), -dued, -du·ing.


1. to conquer and bring into subjection: Rome subdued Gaul.
2. to overpower by superior force; overcome.
3. to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.
4. to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).
5. to bring (land) under cultivation: to subdue the wilderness.

I was at the store later yesterday afternoon and Pop beat me home.  He took a walk down to the pond before I arrived...it had been raining most of the day (and several days previous) and he has been keeping tabs on the level of water in the pond since it went dry this past summer.   When the rain stopped, the day turned into a glorious display of sunshine, fluffy clouds, and lush green landscape at Four Sisters Farm and when I drove up the drive, I saw Pop stretched out on a pad of concrete in our side yard that marks a porch of sorts from an era long before we arrived at this address. I rolled down my window with a smile and he called to me to, "Come on!" so I parked the car, grabbed my jacket and ignored the groceries that needed to be carried in.  We laid on the concrete pad and talked about the beauty of the day. Pop said there was a clear "bat signal" cloud earlier that made him think of the grandsons and how they would have thought that was cool. 

Pop works really hard on Four Sisters Farm and he really enjoys being outside working on the land...he sees things that need to be done here that no one else realizes.  Sometimes, he completes a job like that and the Four Sisters Farm family is amazed at how much nicer things look.  Farm Chick and I have both commented how amazing it is that Pop sees these things.

I realized yesterday that the way Pop operates here is scriptural...check this out:  in Genesis 1:28, God addressed the first man and woman (Adam and Eve, of course)...God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

In my way of thinking, Pop fulfills the calling of mankind. He has been fruitful in life, being blessed with four daughters and a dozen (as of this writing) grandchildren. He subdues the earth by trimming trees, cutting grass, moving dirt, and mowing. He seems to instinctively know how to maintain and better our space.  He plans to rule over the fish by stocking our pond once he is certain it is holding water.  He rules over the all the living creatures at Four Sisters Farm.

I love that man.  I love seeing God in him and seeing him fulfill God's calling.  Count me one blessed wife, mother, and grammy.  Thank you, God!