Hand-milking, Butter, and the Joy of Electricity

For years I've been drawn to the Amish and their lifestyle. I think mostly I admire their simplicity, and what we english might term their "old fashioned ways". I love the simplicity of their farmhouses, the impeccibly kept gardens, the orderliness of their clotheslines, their seemingly tireless work ethic, and my all-time favorite: the clip-clop of the horses hooves on the roadside.



My husband used to say I'd be Amish if I could be, but honestly, I'm not so sure...



...living off-grid entices me in many ways, yet "when push comes to shove", I'm a big baby!



Take tonight, for example. While doing barn chores today, our trusted milk machine got rammed by the wheel barrow and a very important piece was knocked off. We will be unable to order a replacement part until Monday, so until it comes in the mail, we are milking by hand. Okay, the twins are milking by hand. This doubles their chore time, and not only that, but when they are gone, I will have to milk! You cannot imagine how long it takes me to milk by hand (since I rarely do it), and not having the milk machine has only increased our appreciation for it. And electricity.



Example number two: making butter. We were given a beautiful butter churn and the first couple of batches were fabulous. Then the motor died. I decided that was okay, because in reality, the churn does it's thing for quite awhile before producing the lovely butter...and being the daughter of an engineer, I knew we were using quite a bit of electricity in the process which seemed contrary to our life of "simplicity". So I've been trying my blender, (which technically is much faster), but what a bust! I just can't get it past that whipped margarine stage, and I'm about ready to give up until my churn is repaired. There is no way I could churn this by hand...



So all of this really means nothing, except that I tend to romanticize things and once I get in the middle of it, reality often looks different than what I envisioned. It usually involves more commitment, more work, more time, and more energy. So a big HUZZAH! to the simple life, to homesteading and living off -grid. And a big HUZZAH! for my electricity...for now. Some day I'd like to be able to do without...

Modesty Journey, Amish, and God's Tenderness To Us

With a certain frequency, we discuss the issue of modesty in our home. We've been on a journey over the years, and we've recently been asked what it means in our home, so naturally, we began reviewing where the Lord has brought us.

When I first became a Christian, the well-meaning group of believers I was in fellowship with introduced me to the idea of dressing modestly. Unfortunately, what began as a good thing was actually based on conforming to an outward dress code instead of an inward conviction of the heart.

Over time, trying to conform to man's standard got wearisome and what should have been based on conviction was, in reality, based on preference. And naturally, preferences can change. Preferences don't weather the storm. Preferences fluctuate. Preferences are unreliable, flexible, situational and circumstantial.

I began to wonder about my own conviction of modesty, and what really should define how I dress. At the same time, I was trying to raise three daughters (now six daughters) and knew I wanted to influence them with TRUTH, not just preferences. My oldest daughter at the time was very prone to taking my legalism and imitating it to the extreme. That in itself, could be a good thing, IF I was 100 % pure in my motives, which I knew I wasn't. All of these things the Lord was weaving together to show us His truth: Modesty is a matter of the heart.

It so happened, at that time, we spent a "girl's overnight" in a small town dominated by Amish. I love the Amish. I love their ways. I admire so much about their way of life, and I honestly admire their willingness to conform to an agreed upon standard of dress for the good of their members. Now, I'm not saying that is necessary, and I'm not trying to evaluate their hearts...I'm just saying I admire their committment to it.

This is how tender-hearted God is with us: as I had been trying to explain to my very legalistic-but-trying-to do-the-right-thing-and-please-God daughter, that dresses are not necessary to be modest, we entered an Amish bakery. You cannot believe what we saw! There at the register was a very pretty Amish girl (16-18?), dressed in the typical style of dress, only it was white and SEE-THROUGH!!! I couldn't believe it! I also couldn't help staring~just a bit~all her undergarments were completely visable, no questions to ask, nothing left to imagine.

This story is worth re-telling, not as an indictment on the Amish, but as an example of one young lady, conforming (loosely) on the outside, but CLEARLY not having a heart of modesty. I truly believe God used that illustration that day, and many since, to remind us and cement for us that the article of clothing does not define modesty, but the heart of the woman, as she longs to please God, and Him alone, defines what is a truly modest woman.