02/06/2026
🚜 Friday’s Restoration on the Farm
Lesson for 2/6/26
For today’s Friday Restoration on the Farm, I want to talk about restoring an old John Deere Model 50—and why that kind of work means more than just fixing an old tractor.
The John Deere Model 50 was built in the early 1950s, during a time when farms were transitioning from horses and older equipment to more reliable, modern tractors. It wasn’t a large or flashy machine, but it was dependable. Farmers used it for everyday work—plowing, cultivating, pulling wagons, mowing, and tending the land. It was built to work hard, day after day, and many of them did just that for decades.
Restoring a Model 50 takes time and patience. You don’t just paint it green and yellow and call it done. There’s mechanical work—engines, fuel systems, wiring, steering, and hydraulics. There’s cleaning years of dirt, grease, and rust. There’s replacing what’s worn beyond repair while keeping as much of the original character as possible. Restoration respects what the machine has been, while giving it the chance to work—or at least be appreciated—again.
This tractor isn’t just a piece of history to me. My brother-in-law Fred owned a John Deere Model 50, and he always talked about restoring it someday. That tractor was used right here on our own farm. It worked the land, hauled loads, and did the kind of quiet, necessary work that keeps a place running. Like many things on a farm, it wasn’t always noticed—but it mattered.
That’s part of why restoration speaks to me. Old things often carry stories. They’ve been useful, worn down, set aside, and sometimes forgotten—but they’re not without value.
The Bible puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV):
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
That verse reminds me that restoration isn’t about erasing the past. When we restore an old tractor, we don’t pretend it was never worn or broken. We acknowledge what it’s been through—and then we give it new purpose. In Christ, God does the same with us. He doesn’t discard us because we’re worn, tired, or damaged. He makes us new, while still knowing our story.
Just like restoring a John Deere Model 50, becoming a new creation doesn’t happen overnight. It takes care, patience, and intentional work. But the result is something strong, useful, and meaningful again.
That’s what Friday Restoration on the Farm is all about—old things, old stories, and the reminder that with the right hands and the right purpose, new life is always possible.
