Lilies of the Field: Josh Bourgeois
Safety seems to preoccupy all of us. Sure, finances are a big deal. A roof over your head is a big deal. Food on the table is a big deal. Having a table - not so much, but it’s nice. I would say my wife, Sarah, and I are in a season of life where we are learning more and more to live like the lilies of the field. The lilies referred to by Jesus in the gospels. I’ll use Luke’s account:
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:13-34)
Sarah and I were transformed by the living gospel as students at the Wesley Foundation. Mentored by older friends, sharpened by our peers, we grew tremendously in the ways we thought about real community. Jesus became less of a cool, spiritual guru in a history book and more of the Lord of our lives. Sarah and I both found our callings to ministry: her, in church administration, and me in agriculture - or whatever platform I could use to tell people what they should and should not do with the land. Sarah blossomed as an intern there, and I was ignited into pursuing a life that cared for the land after the Wesley started a local market garden.
Ever since I graduated and we got married last year, Sarah and I both worked jobs in which we did not feel fulfilled. We believed our callings were elsewhere. The biggest struggle was to find work in our respective fields while also answering our call to ministry. Month after month we looked for jobs that were more suited toward the dreams we had. I applied to at least a hundred different jobs and only interviewed for a few. The only one that was successful (that is, I was hired) was a retail job in Ruston, so I kept searching while working there. One day, Sarah stumbled upon a job description on indeed.com and told me to read it. This was a casual pastime at this point, but after reading about the job, it didn’t look like the others we had searched for. It was a farm in Maryland, owned and operated by a Christian family, and they were eager to hire more help. We were eager to apply - and immediately did so that day. After I submitted it, we looked at each other and said, “Wait, we can’t just move to Maryland.” How would we move our stuff? Where do we put the stuff we can’t take? Who do we know there? What doctors will we go to? What bank will we use? What about… fill in the blank.
The thing was, this is not the kind of work that offers a salary with paid time off or a 401(k) or a healthcare plan. We would live in an RV on an organic farm in Havre de Grace, Maryland. We would live off of a modest stipend and whatever vegetables are available on the farm, in addition to some pork from the pigs we raise, and as few other groceries as possible. It wouldn’t be much. In addition to this, I have rather demanding healthcare needs that more or less bind me to the place in which I live - or so I thought. A single dose of my medication, which I need once a month, is more than many middle class families’ monthly income. We were dependent on Louisiana Medicaid to afford it.
Even with our dreams in front of us, as a man, these things challenged me. They challenged me because I felt the pressure to provide for my wife. They challenged me because I felt the pressure to not be seen as a clueless, newlywed kid in front of my parents and in-laws. I wanted to be seen as a responsible adult who knows what he’s doing and is taken seriously, even though I don’t work for a corporation that can provide benefits for me and mine. But we began praying, and God started removing that pressure from us.
What has always been important to me is to know that my wife is able to do what she loves, that she is able to fulfill her calling. Sarah is a minister, and work for her in this capacity is just as essential as my calling to care for the land. In my case, it is being hired by Christian farmers who desire to bring subversive agricultural education to their neighbors. In my wife’s case, it is to work directly in the administration of the church. Miraculously enough, an opportunity for her to work for a church arose when I applied for this farm thing, 10 minutes away from our little RV. She started work recently and is able to do most of it remotely due to the regulations in place for COVID-19. It was provided.
As for my medication, before we left for Maryland, I was able to gain access to a year’s supply. I thought I would have been scrambling to bridge the gap in coverage and find a doctor who could supply it when we got to Maryland. But I didn’t. I just have it. And now I have healthcare in Maryland. It was provided.
It is my responsibility to work, and having a job is a blessing. I must participate in that blessing, but the provision is entirely in God’s hands. As Christians, if we really take Jesus Christ of Nazareth seriously, at His Word, should we be worried when He tells us that God wants more for us than the birds and the lilies for whom His provision is abundant? It’s not easy. And Sarah and I are not perfect. I do not write this post to tout our success as “super Christians.” We would pray for provision and still be anxious. We would argue about finances. We would panic about telling our families and what they thought. But it had to be let go. And letting it go is not always immediate. Most of the time, it takes a long time. But, more and more, as we reflect on what God has provided and continues to provide, we are reminded to forfeit anxious thoughts. We are reminded to forfeit what this hyper-competitive, capitalist society has taught us about security and actually trust what God Himself has to say about it. Our culture teaches us to fantasize about retiring as millionaires by putting money into Roth IRAs and 401(k)s and carefully researching the safest mutual funds. But then, a virus comes and shatters our world and its economy, reminding us of its fragility. It ruins all of our contingency plans. I don’t want to sound nihilistic here. It isn’t wrong to have a bank account with money in it and pay your bills and taxes. It isn’t wrong to have a fridge full of food. But it is wrong to be anxious and, therefore, distracted. Distracted from what we currently have. What God wants to give us. We want the bigger barn. Can we be thankful for the barn we already have and know that God wants to provide for it? Day by day, Sarah and I are learning this. Day by day, He provides. It might not seem like much to others looking in, but God has given us a place that provides abundant food, a roof, a paycheck, and a tiny table. It was provided. Amen.
Josh Bourgeois snd his wife Sarah are both graduates of Louisiana Tech and beloved alumni of the Wesley Foundation. They have recently moved to Maryland where Josh is working as a staff member of Third Way Farm and Sarah is work at a church utilizing her administration skills. We will miss having Josh and Sarah in Ruston, but are thankful for their willingness and desire to pursue Jesus and the work that He is calling them to!