AUGUST 2010 - I spent all day Saturday working in the yard.
It was the perfect day for yard work: blue skies, warm, but not hot, an early start and daylight that lasted well into the evening. At the end of the day, I was exhausted, but pleased. The new layer of pine straw in the front defined the beds and made the green lawn pop. The extra two rows of irises I transplanted in front of the holly hedge stood like regimental soldiers. The rosemary, marigolds and ageratum I added around the mailbox complemented the lambs ear and sweet santolina already there.
I did what I always do after a long day of dirt and sweat: I turn my back to the house, walk across the street, and then turn for a look with new eyes. The result did not disappoint. The yard looked amazing, manicured, cared-for. I walked inside, took a shower and collapsed into a chair in front of the TV with a satisfied sigh. And I was satisfied, for a brief moment. Then, I noticed a stain on the carpet, a reminder of the day our Labrador Retriever decided to go roll in the mud before bounding through the front door recently. Oh, and there’s that bathroom cabinet door that needs repairing. And in the kitchen, when I grabbed a bite of supper, my plate was chipped.
Then, it hit me. Why do I get so caught up with what I see on the outside? How many times have I worked really hard to clean up my outside – the part of me that people see, and completely neglected the inside? How many times have I drawn attention to outward appearances in my life or let people praise the outside, without confessing to God that my closets are cluttered with leftovers, skeletons and mistakes. I’m stained, crooked, chipped. It’s not that our curb appeal is not important. There’s nothing wrong with sprucing up if it will open the door to meaningful, personal relationships, but if our focus is all about outward appearances and we’re not taking care of our hearts, or not concerned with what’s happening on the inside of others–well, then…
Truth be told, even the outward appearance doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. That lawn? It’s not a pristine carpet of Bermuda. It’s a hearty mixture of weeds, thin grass, yellow pine pollen and such.
I love yard work. I call it my thinking time. And, for me, thinking is praying time. Lord, help me to remember to not concentrate on my outside and on the outside of others. Help me to be mindful of the weeds, the chips and the stains in my life and to allow You to make the repairs I need. Prepare me on the inside, Lord, and let that shine through to the outside. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen
Comentários