Mowing
When I taught High School in the late seventies, I mowed because I didn't want to kill my students and I needed something to get rid of my frustration. This time, thirty years later, I'm mowing because I want to. With Spring just beginning, I've only mowed three times, but each time I've just been overwhelmed with emotions that have been indescribable and uncontainable (words you're going to hear again). God speaks to me through mowing. These are some lessons I think of every time I mow, that apply to my Christian life as well.You have to have the right equipment. 1) a good lawnmower 2) a weedeater 3) gloves 4) sunglasses and 5) most importantly, an IPOD.
* Bad picture but, they're all here if you look closely, minus the weedeater."Therefore put on the full armor of God,...the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...the gospel of peace...the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation...and the sword of the Spirit....so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Eph. 5:13-17 I have to have the right equipment to have a good stand of ground and I have to have the right equipment in order to stand my ground.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, ... Heb. 12:1, 2a
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19
"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Ps. 103:1-3
"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Tim. 4:7,8
"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14The last time I mowed I was actually going to count how many times I went around the yard, but by the thirteenth round I quit counting. I didn't know for sure how many rounds I went after that, I just knew I quit counting. It was actually pretty hard to keep track, after so many rounds. This so parallels what people do in real life that I had to laugh at what I did. I know, when I was young, I looked forward to and counted the days until I could celebrate my birthday--1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13...-- but somewhere along the way, the counting dropped off and the anticipation of the next one sort of waned. I know when we're young, days seem endless and years seem an eternity, especially when you're 16 and getting your license. But, when you're older, time seems to fly and life does seem like a vapor. Whereas the first years, as represented by the first and longest lines I mow, seem long, the last years, as represented by the last and shortest lines, seem short. Also, when looking back, a lifetime looks so short [after the yard is mowed] and the lines of time somewhat blend, while looking forward, a lifetime looks so long [before the yard is mowed] and the beginning lines are more distinct.
It's not about me at all.
There is absolutely no way I could mow the yard without the lawnmower. It cuts the grass, mulches the grass, and bags the grass. And the credit I get for emptying it, does nothing to add to its performance or its power. All I have to do is stand behind it and hold on. I don't even have to strain to push it because it's self-propelled. I just have to start it, keep gas in it, pull back on the handle, and point it in the right direction. It does all the hard stuff. But, the more I use it to cut, mulch and bag the grass, the more I have to empty it.
I, likewise, cannot take any credit for what God does. He is so powerful that HE EVEN MAKES THE GRASS that has to be cut, mulched and bagged. He is the power behind what I do.
"I [Paul] planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God mde it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." 1 Cor. 3:6,7
I just have to stand behind Him, hold onto Him, let Him be in control and go in the direction He leads me. He does all the hard stuff. And the more He fills me up, the more of Him I have to empty.
"How is my "mower" and God alike?" I asked myself. And this is what I heard.
MOWER versus MORE-- as depicted in the song
More Holiness Give Me
What I'm listening to makes all the difference in the world.
Mowing has become something I actually look forward to, because I get to listen to music I've selected and recorded on my IPOD Shuffle. I've chosen to listen to songs that praise God and lift me up. Not only do I get to enjoy them, they muffle the noise of the sounds around me.
In this world, noise is constant and choosing to listen to God's voice is a conscious decision I have to make. But I make it. When I choose to listen to God's voice, I hear Him speak and the sounds of the world are muffled around me.
..."I know my sheep and my sheep know me--" John 10:14
..." and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:4
What used to be a mundane chore, has now become enjoyable because of the music I listen to.
I don't know how people in the world cope, who don't know God. They hear nothing in their ears except "you are no one," "the world is hopeless," "these are terrible times," "there are no good people," "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die," "there is no God," "you can't make a difference," and on and on the garbage flows and it so permeates the world that people believe it. But it's simply not true. It's not even remotely true. The world listens to the world and its leaders and Satan is the father of lies who thinks he can control it. BUT HE CANNOT. No more than I can control the growing of the grass that I cut, can Satan control me, or can He control God.
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isiah 40:8
We must listen to God and His words. We must listen so closely to Him and His voice that His words are as close to us as my music is to me, brought to me by the headphones that are literally in my ears. We must let His words bring "music" to our ears. Listen to the words to three songs that I listen to, everytime I mow. Let yourself imagine why my emotions are so indescribable, uncontainable.
CHORUS
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Comments
Love, Jeanne
Don't you LOVE to see a finished product? I think God likes to see us when we are finished on Earth and ready for His beautiful Kingdom!