My Inspiration

It's green. It grows A LOT. It gets thick. I have lots of it on four sides. It's a weekly summer chore. It's

.................... grass.

Yup. That's right folks. Yours truly has truly discovered the lessons in grass.

As this dear section of Pennsylvania had some H2O fall this weekend, I *missed* out on the Saturday trial, I mean, (ahem) blessing of getting on the riding tractor and dutifully trimming the blades of grass down to a semi-respectable, decent-looking yard. I knew that the task could only be delayed by two days, so I asked my co-worker-secretary-friend, "It's not going to rain tonight, is it? Our yard looks like we've taken to growing weeds as a side business!" The delightful statement "No it's not" fell on my listening ear as if to remind me I hadn't gotten out of the chore.

So I left my dearly beloved job at church and came home to a blessing! My mom had already mowed the two sides of the house, leaving me the back and the front to finish. While there was still considerable work to be done, it was nice to know I didn't have to cut it all.

Enter lesson.

As I mindlessly sat on the riding mower, letting IT do all the work, the thought hit me hard as I was ready to begin a new row:

(*Dramatic pause for enlightening moment*)

"Have you ever noticed that the jobs you absolutely hate to do are usually the ones you have to do double?"

I thought about my best friend from my teen years and how she was always exclaiming, "Oh I LOVE to cut the grass!!!!! It's SO relaxing!!!" This was said from the girl who had her lawn cut every week for her because she lived on church property :-S

But I let the thought sink in for a moment... Ok, a few moments. It IS true. When I completely despise something, I usually have to do it double and sometimes grumble my way through it too. I think the Lord was laughing when my family moved here 10 years ago: "She's not going to like cutting the grass. She's going to have more grass than she knows what to do with it. People will often say to her they wished they had more grass to cut. She's going to learn a lesson!!!!"

Lesson learned.

I think.

I read a story somewhere today (and if I stole it from you, forgive me... My memory's drawing a blank) about a lady who was complaining about some tasks she had to do. The other person said, "See it as an opportunity to die." In other words, don't give in to self.

Some of my favorite verses are Galatians 2:19-20 ~ "For I through the law am dead... that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lived in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Grass. Something so little, so insignificant.

Yet it was my teacher today.