My grandfather emigrated from Perth, Scotland, to Canada after serving in the Boer War with the Black Watch Regiment as a blacksmith. He arrived in Saskatchewan, aged 26. His homestead was peaceful compared to the chaos of war and was his land of milk and honey, where he could eat the produce of the land. Uncle Tommy said grandfather was a rugged man who enjoyed the challenges of pioneer life. Not only did he farm, he built a busy blacksmith shop, shoeing horses, sharpening plowshares, working on the railway construction crew. Surviving poverty and the Dirty Thirties, they raised three successful children.
New beginnings are always hard. Canadian immigrant history is one of hardships and mistakes, much like the Israelites’ immigration/freedom trek from Egypt to Canaan, their land of milk and honey. Joshua 5 tells of the end of their wilderness journey, having successfully crossed the Jordan River, having obeyed God’s leading.
We are or have been on a “wilderness trek,” seeking our place of milk and honey. Even when we make mistakes, we need to follow the Israelites’ example, looking for God’s direction. It worked for them and my grandparents, it will work for you and me.
Lead us, God, guiding us on our life paths, strengthening us for the hard work ahead. Amen. —