Tonight I watched a couple of TV specials on organic farming versus Genetically Modified (GM) foods. I have heard quite a bit about both the negative and positives of GM foods and find myself fascinated with the topic. The scientific breakthroughs that have made it possible to take an isolated gene of an animal or insect and splice that gene into a plant is a really neat science experiment all by itself and, while I don’t have all my questions answered concerning GM food from the special, I did find myself feeling incredibly connected to the idea of growing my own food. Farm after farm, I watched as people picked, dug up, and harvested beautiful fruits and vegetables that grew in their own soil. I couldn’t help but think that, from the beginning of time, God has given man the great blessing of working in the dirt. Remember, Genesis 2:5 tells us that God put man in the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it. W-O-R-K is not a four-letter word with a negative meaning. Work was part of God’s original plan; it was not part of the curse, despite what you and I might want to believe.

Now I know that, with my schedule, I can’t just stop what I am doing and buy some farm land and announce, “Tanya, welcome to our new life!” I don’t think that would go over too well with her, either. At the same time, there is something inside of me that makes me long for life on a farm, working on the land, and watching God allow the dust of the ground to provide exactly what I need to nourish my body. It makes me wonder how anyone can watch a plant come out of the ground and not thank God for creating this amazing world with such a diversity of food for our needs.

Well, for now I am just going to have to dream the dream, but one day perhaps God will turn my dream into a reality. When modern life gets a bit hectic, I think it’s natural for us to yearn for a back-to-basics lifestyle. But farming is not what it used to be. With the rise of GM foods, will farming be left to corporate conglomerates?

Feel free to leave a comment on our Facebook wall about what you think of growing your own food, and if GM food is a threat or a benefit to our health.