I messed up this week. I didn't cut the grass. It might seem like a small thing. But, here's the thing. Last week, we talked with Cindy, our sweet and welcoming neighbor, about sharing mowing responsibilities. The plan was simple, we would alternate weeks. Because she had mowed the grass last week, we would mow it this week.
This morning, we were walking out of our door, headed for church, and I heard the rumble of a lawn mower starting up. My heart sank. Sure enough, it was Cindy. Cindy was doing my job.
Honestly, we've been busy. But, we always are. And I definitely could have carved out an hour to cut the grass.
At this point in our life on Thompson, perhaps the best way to serve our neighbors is doing just that, cutting the grass. And I dropped the ball.
I've been thinking about this a lot today. Its really easy for my mind to linger on such an experience, picking out each of my character flaws which (in my mind) obviously led to my (again, in my mind) potentially ruining our possibility of developing a good relationship with our neighbors.
Thankfully, God found a way to creep into my cluttered mind and find a corner from which to gently reprimand me. The fact is, just like always, I have, so to speak, spoken out of turn. Jordan and I (basically) sat by and watched while God put the pieces into place and before we knew it, we were living in a beautiful apartment on the "west side" of Staunton. He proved that his faithfulness and he demonstrated his presence in our lives.
Still, despite seeing such a significant movement of God in my life, I stepped into the place and grabbed the puzzle box and demanded that I have control.
I don't even like puzzles.
Now, I am reminded of the most basic fact of my life. I need God. I need to be as dependent on him to help me through each day, to work in and through me each day, as I was when he was pulling together this part of my life.
That doesn't mean I didn't screw up. It doesn't mean that I don't have to work hard. But, it means that there is grace. And it means that even though I'm human, God is God, and God will do his work. I'm just lucky to be a part of it.
Ah, God. I can almost see your eyes rolling.
