Joel Littlefield

The first mow of this Spring held an important spiritual lesson for me. As I made the first pass all I could think of was the labor, the heat and the exhaustion of the task. To be honest, I was dreading the six months of grass that never stops growing. So I took a deep breath and turned my attention to God. He reminded me of the grace that was in Jesus when he bore the fullness of the curse for us. I realize that the curse of sin is still around me as it is with everyone, but because of Christ I do not have to be enslaved to it. Nor do I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be mad at life or the work that is before me. It’s because of redemption that I can learn to enjoy it.

I began to notice the familiar smell of fresh cut grass and wild onion that filled my senses. So I focused there and my perspective began to change. All that I was just dreading suddenly became a blessing.

It is the carnally minded person who settles their thinking over the dreads of life and does not know how to get out of it. But the spiritually minded Christian knows that the fingerprints of grace and redemption are everywhere. That’s the way out of the dread. We do not have to be angry or upset over labor and daily tasks because we have been set free from the grip of the curse by Jesus. We have found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and that grace gives a person fresh eyes to see life and all the mundane in a better light.

As you go through each day doing the same things you’ve always done; the daily grind, overtime at the office, home repairs, cleaning the house, rearing the children, changing diapers, feeding mouths and mowing lawns, realize that that’s not all there is. In each of those things and beneath the surface there’s more. God has divinely placed blessings in all of it; gifts, that if you take the time to enjoy, your eyes will be opened to wonderful things in God.

I am thankful for a Savior who is so good, so loving and so sovereign that he can bring goodness out of sin and beauty out of ashes. The world groans for its day of redemption, and all the saints grown with it, but if you keep your eyes on God through it all you will begin to see elements of beauty where the world can only see cursing.

Mowing my lawn that one Saturday morning provided is a feeble example. But it worked for me and the principle stands nonetheless. The next time you are tempted to complain over the toils of life, look for the silver lining. It may be the smell of grass that makes the labor enjoyable. It may be the laughter of your child that makes the continual cleanup of spills and accidents bearable. When the ministry, the work and the maintenance of friendships remind you of the curse, look to Jesus who bore your sin and mine upon His shoulders in order to remove the greatest burden of all; a life without Him.