A Santri story: Working With God

A Santri who also a farmer purchases an old, run-down, abandoned farm in nJombang with plans to turn it into a thriving enterprise. The fields are grown over with weeds, the farmhouse is falling apart, and the fences are collapsing all around.

During his first day of work, Pak Kyai, his teacher, stops by to bless the man’s work, saying, “May you and God work together to make this the farm of your dreams!” A few months later, Pak Kyai stops by again to call on his santri. Lo and behold, it’s like a completely different place — the farm house is completely rebuilt and in excellent condition, there are plenty of cattle and other livestock happily munching on feed in well-fenced pens, and the fields are filled with crops planted in neat rows. “Amazing!” Pak Kyai says. “Look what God and you have accomplished together!”

“Yes, Pak Kyai,” says his santri, “but remember what the farm was like when God was working it alone!”