I was running on the treadmill today at the gym and the thought occurred to me: Why in the world am I running indoors rather than being outside and enjoying God's beautiful creation?
And the answer to that question is a very simple one: This is today's weather.
Suffice it to say we have sorely needed rain this summer. So this makes running on the treadmill bearable. On May 9 of this year I completed my fourth ultramarathon. It required a good number of steps.
Today I was enabled by the Lord to get in about one third of those steps.
I think I could have gotten in more steps had I been running outdoors. But God knows we needed today's rain more than I needed steps.
Virginia has faced a historic drought in 2026. It has heavily impacted agriculture, including my farm. Severe to extreme drought continues to exist in several parts of the Commonwealth, including Southside (where we live and farm). The 2026 drought is the worst we've seen in decades. Hay crops have come in at roughly one third of their expected yield. Yet the good work of farming goes on. You just hope and pray for days like today. Farmers can plow, seed, and fertilize. But none of us can force the clouds to open. Unless the Lord causes your crops to grow, farmers labor in vain.
God doesn't just spin the top and let it go. He is intimately involved in keeping the heavens and the earth going for his glory. It is all in vain without him. Glory be to God!