Eggs

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 ESV 

• “Mami, there are no eggs on the shelf again! And we have a lot of eggs!!”
• “The eggs are so expensive! And we don’t need to buy them! Ours are fresher, too!!”
• “I will make double-egg omelets for everyone today! You made it last time. It’s my turn!”
• “Look at this egg! It’s wrinkled!”
• “Wow, the yolk is bright orange!” 
• “What’s the blood in the egg?!”
• “The duck eggs are MUCH bigger!”
• “The unwashed eggs can be stored at room temperature! Otherwise, our fridge will be too full!” 
• “Mama, now can we make salted duck eggs? We have a LOT of eggs!” 
• “The bantam laid another egg today! So cute!”
• “We found a pigeon egg in the chicken coop today!”
• “Why is the silkie hen still not laying? Is it a hen?”
• “Why does our neighbor not like to eat fertilized eggs? They taste just the same!”
• “Those eggs didn’t hatch! Mr. A may want them for dog food!”

…

Aww, countless egg-related farm chats!! Who needs a curriculum when real life can teach you so much more? Notice, it is no coincidence that no statement above ends with a period “.”. If you hear the volume of my children’s voices and their excitement, or if you see their facial expressions, I think you will agree that just one exclamation mark (!)  is an understatement. Life is to be lived to the full. There is so much to explore, to learn, to unlearn, and to share! 

By contrast, it is a totally different learning experience if ample information or dry facts are simply crammed into the brain for short-term memory storage. You may remember some quick facts but don’t really learn anything meaningful or make real life connections. Students under such a dysfunctional educational system are usually required to memorize tons of facts or have countless drills for passing a standardized performance test. Let’s say he passes the test with flying colors, but never had a first-hand experience with the subject at hand, he might be deceived to believe he has all the knowledge needed, or he could feel insecure about his true emptiness at the core. Sadly, growing up from a secular, exam-driven educational system, I had little opportunity like my children now have to freely explore God’s Creation with His absolute loving Truth as a baseline. 

The goal of government-supported Education can only be winning the battlefield of our minds for the government’s benefit. Public education aims to take a hold of the public mind. This is probably true for all governments in the world. The governments have the job to raise a new generation who will support their system and buy into their concepts. I don’t plan to get into the discussion of politics here, but the fact that President Trump recently signed an executive order to start dismantling the Department of Education, is a reminder of the freedom and responsibility we still have in this “land of the free and the home of the brave”. America still offers great freedom in how you can educate your children without government interference. Many countries nowadays are not given such choices. We need His Spirit to guide us and strengthen us as we make educational choices. After all, home education is not for the faint-hearted, and the journey to the Celestial City takes a lifelong commitment, no matter what educational choice you will make! 

I truly don’t want to miss out on the freedom we have been given! If we don’t use it, we lose it. This is also true for the freedom to home educate. What a redeeming gift through the joy of home education! Many of my relatives and friends in China often have little concept of homeschooling. They are frustrated with the heavy academic loads their children have to go through, even from a very young age! At the same time, they have a hard time understanding the functionality of home education. If I want to have a simple way to explain how we home educate, I often say “My children are free-ranged (散养). I am glad they don’t have to be caged.” This way of explanation seems to make much more sense right away. The older generation still has a nostalgic feeling towards free-range chickens, even though most people now end up buying commercially raised chickens at the store. This “free-range” learning style benefits not only the children, but the whole family. It takes time to unlearn what the system has trained, to experience trials and errors, but it’s all worth it for the freedom and fullness in life! 

Let’s get back to “eggs”! What image comes to your mind first, when the word “eggs” is mentioned? Is it the standard sized brown or white eggs in a carton? Or various colors, sizes of farm fresh eggs? Did you immediately think about chicken eggs? How about duck eggs? Quail eggs? Guinea eggs? Goose eggs? Life on a farm rarely gets boring for sure! You will not panic when you see blood spots in the eggs, knowing this harmless discovery happens more often to freshly collected eggs. You will appreciate the individual character and charm of farm eggs, which are not filtered for the public preferences simply based on looks. Even if you don’t have chickens in your backyard yet, you may still be able to find some farm fresh eggs at a local farmer’s market, Facebook Market, etc.. You never know how that personal buy and sell trading relationship is going to be mutually encouraging. 

The agrarian lifestyle is nothing new in human history. Families traditionally lived and worked together. Tribes, peoples, and nations have been formed centered around family farm life. Each day on the farm offers fresh opportunities and challenges as the season changes. It definitely takes diligent work of preparation, and a leap of faith, to answer the call to move to the country. God-sufficient homesteading leads us to depend on His provision in a much more tangible way. If you are called to seek freedom with the land, you are not alone in this movement, as more and more families are coming out of the city and slowly weaning themselves from the consumerism system. We have been so blessed to cross paths with a good number of families taking that step within our short amount of time here in Missouri. 

Actually, as for freedom, forget about farm life. If you are free, you are free indeed, no matter where you are. Many commercial farmers nowadays blindly or unwillingly follow the life-stealing, life-killing system at a high cost. Those industrial farmers are as much in bondage as the caged animals. It is depressing and devastating. No wonder children grown up under such a system have little interest in going after their parents to get involved with farming. Without truth, we are enslaved with the lies surrounding us. People everywhere, in every field of life, need the Truth, the Light to show them the Way to true Freedom. When the Truth comes, there is freedom, abundance and life! It’s exciting to start a day knowing you are in God’s will, the most free and secure place to be, no matter where you are or what you do! 

The Father is abounding in love in all His creation for His children. He made chickens, ducks, geese and all kinds of flying animals. He has given them individual looks with different sizes, colors, feathers, sounds, habits, and even personalities. He has designed them to lay eggs, to mate, to have the instinct to hatch eggs. Life goes on! Eggs are not only nutritious and delicious, but also the means to continue and multiply life. No wonder Resurrection day is celebrated with many Easter eggs around! 
The Father also made you because He loves you and has great plans for you! You are made to bring glory to the Father! He gives us breath in our lungs, a free mind to think and make choices, emotions to express love and hate. He gives, gives and gives… He is calling His faithful ones to Himself because He loves you! One of the greatest joys on the farm is to see all the birds come for treats, as we shut them in the secured coop for the night. How much more our Heavenly Father is offering as we shelter under His wings? He is calling. Are you coming? If you wonder how to approach the Holy God and to even have a relationship with Him, the Father has already prepared the way! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Do you know the Truth? May the Truth set you free, free indeed, both now and forever more!