We’ve had unusually nice weather for this time of year, so I’ve been taking advantage of it to do some yard work. When I’m in the yard, I don’t take my phone or listen to my playlist. Lately, it’s just been my rake and my thoughts. And as I spend more time outside, I realize why sowing, seeding, planting, harvesting, etc. make such good analogies for our faith life. This yard stuff takes time, the correct tools, and lots of effort.
I don’t have a green thumb, and I don’t really know when to plant what, but this early in the season, it made sense that ‘clean-up’ should be the first step. The grass needs to be raked (apparently more than once – maybe I need a better rake) so the soon-to-go-down compost has the best chance to work. But where I especially gained perspective was on the edges. The sides of my backyard are flowerbeds, minus the flowers. They have groundcover that used to be pretty but is now a nuisance after several years of neglect. I’ve eyed those sides often, telling myself I should really get someone to take care of that. I’d like to have it cleared out, so I can see what’s underneath. I don’t even know what’s there. On the surface, it just looks like a big mess, and it gets worse every year.
I finally chose this (almost) spring to tackle it. And instead of enlisting anyone else, I took my rake and my thoughts and went to work. Little by little I made it through the first section. Ugly old growth on top, tangled vines below. The process was frustrating and satisfying at the same time. In the end, the mess on top was cleared out, the vines were cut back, and this year’s new growth now has room to grow and be pretty again. I know these comparisons aren’t anything new to us, but this experience resonated with needing to care for my faith: What have I been avoiding or neglecting for too long? What are the messes, especially on the surface, that need tending to? Where can I start by simply doing a little clean-up?
I also understood that, thanks to prayer, trust in God, and the faith of others, I’m not alone in figuring these out. I’ve asked several neighbors with nice lawns what they do to get the result they want, and they are happy to share. What I appreciate most is their encouragement in reminding me to be patient and that doing the right thing season after season will form a good foundation to work from. And they’re right. Overall, last year’s yard was better than the year before. There is more work to do, but I can see a lot of progress.
Journeying to Grace 