I was mowing the yard today (after spending an hour fixing the broken lawn mower), and I was tired…and hot. To be honest, mowing is one of my least favorite jobs around the house. It doesn’t rank quite as high as Unclogging the Drain, but it’s pretty close. I know it’s good exercise, and for that I’m grateful…although I’d rather run a half marathon wearing a 20 pound weighted vest. But that’s just me.
I was mowing with a sense of urgency to the task…rain was coming. I knew I had only hours to do it, and this was my window of opportunity. Rain…awesome, life-giving rain. We’ve been in a drought here in the Midwest this summer. The grass had gone dormant, turning as brown as if it were dead…and the leaves on the trees have started turning and falling already. And as bad as a drought is for all the reasons a drought is bad, there is a blessing in it…albeit however small it is. When the grass doesn’t grow, there’s no need to mow. (See how I did that there with the rhyme…I didn’t even think that out before I typed it. 🙂 )
So I’ve saved a lot of time, work and gas ($$) this summer. And for that, I’ve been grateful, despite the condition of the grass and trees. And here I was, mowing in advance of the coming rain, and I found myself starting to complain inside…grumbling in my mind about how much I hate mowing the yard. And then the Holy Spirit does what He does…He brings Scripture to mind…
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There’s a time for everything…and there’s good in the bad, if we look for it. In the drought, I’ve saved my time, work and gas ($$) by not needing to mow. Earlier today, I didn’t enjoy myself out there mowing in the heat and humidity, but God sent the rain to quell the drought and provide life to the area (and an afternoon workout for me). Life is the same really…there’s some good in every bad we encounter. Sometimes we have to look hard to find it, but it’s there…if we open our hearts and minds to God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us…and when He works in us, He works through us. For His plan. For His glory. Through the good. Through the bad. And yes, even through the mowing.
Love,
Dad