Bailing Wire and Nails

My grandparents settled on a farm near a small town in Wyoming. They were in a “subsistence farming” program, where you grew enough to support your family. The bit left over was sold to pay off bills and loans. Bolts and replacement parts were too expensive, so rigged pieces of bailing wire and strategically placed nails were sufficient until the next repair. Bailing wire was scarce for them, because they stacked their hay in the fields instead of making those compact bails of hay. What little bit they did have ran out, so barbed wire was used. My dad says that made repairs “a little more attention getting”.

Sometimes the repairs didn’t hold, like when my uncle George bailing wired the split clutch pedal together and it came apart on a tractor as Uncle Roy was driving it into the barn for repair. He didn't stop, and went through the back barn wall.

My grandmother had her own tools and had her sons pull nails and straighten them to be reused. Most times it was to keep the pigs secure in their pens and out of her garden. All work would stop and she’d call the boys in to mend the fence and get the pigs back in their place. She used nails to fix a lot of things; in fact I have an old dresser of hers. It still has a nail that secures a loose brass drawer pull.

Did you know God fixes things with bailing wire and nails? Since the first people on earth messed up in the Garden, He had a plan to repair that break between His children and Him. He sent His own Son to make the repairs, because nothing we could do would mend that gap in the fence. Jesus used a few nails, some wood, and to make the repair “a little more attention getting”, a thorny crown was used instead of bailing wire.

If you are tired of repairing the holes in your life and just getting by, pray this prayer:
Father God, I’m done with trying to run my own life. The repairs I’ve made aren’t holding, and the “pigs keep getting in my garden”. I believe you sent your son Jesus to save me and I want to ask Him to come repair my life. Thank you Jesus, for the nails. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I encourage you to seek out a Christian friend and let them know that you prayed this prayer. I also encourage you to find a church family to join and learn more about how God has a plan for your life. If I can pray for you, please email: rosieskye@hotmail.com Welcome to the family!