The Old Green Girl

This morning was a cool December morning, although not quite as cold as yesterday. Still, our Gator was slow to get going. She doesn’t like the colder weather, and she’s a little slow moving. As she and I headed down the driveway, I started singing to the tune of “The Old Gray Mare”, with these words, “The Old Green Girl she ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be…”

When we made the corner and headed down the slight hill in our driveway, with the back loaded with four five-gallon buckets of feed and two five-gallon buckets of water, she slowed down as we chugged up the other side, only reinforcing my tune…”ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be.”

The “girls” (our affectionate name for the laying hens) are on the far north end of our farm, so it’s quite a drive to get there, including more hills, bumps, and turns. As we bounced along the field road, chugging up the hills and zooming down again, I began to reflect on our Green Girl and our similarities.

My father-in-law bought her used many years ago so he could tool around the farm. I feel an emotional attachment to him whenever I’m alone on her, missing him being here with us and seeing the many blessings God has bestowed upon his family. After he moved away from the farm, and since passed in 2011, we have kept her going and working hard over these past seven years.

She, like me, is a little slower to get moving, especially on colder mornings. Her belt slips as she sits and thinks about going for a while. I chuckle at how my “belt” slips and how I can groan as I think about going, too. Her seats are worn, even though we bought brand new ones just four years ago for our son’s wedding. She’s missing her tailgate and her fenders are long gone from wear and tear. Yet, she keeps on trucking; just maybe not as fast as she once was.

The tune running through my mind as I made my way down to the girls to care for them, I was thankful that the Lord has kept her and me both running through the years. Thankfully I don’t have any “fenders” missing and my “seat” can certainly feel worn out as my joints ache from the work involved here, yet, I’m grateful. The Lord reminds me of His faithfulness. “The Old Green Girl, she ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be; The Old Green Girl she ain’t what she used to be, many long years ago.”

And then I remember these words, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31:3 ESV

Together, the Green Girl and I travel back to the barn, singing praises for the God who is forever faithful.