Spring has struck!

In my area we are having a heat wave; for once we are near record high temperatures instead of setting all time lows… whle being lectured about global warming.

On Tuesday I ventured outdoors into the glorious afternoon, listening to the birds singing merrily in the bare trees; it was so nice out there.  I started to notice the places where the snow had been (and where it hadn’t been) and I was struck at how badly my yard looked.

Great.  Spring finally arrives and I have work to do!

This morning I was out there with rake in hand raking up the wet leaves that are everywhere.  You must understand that raking wet leaves is nowhere to be found on my list of things that I want to do.  I was also noticing how many weeds were already coming up, and the nice green grass that is already growing in places where grass shouldn’t be.  To be quite honest, my frame of mind was rapidly heading in the wrong direction, and that never makes a job any easier to do.

Isn’t it funny how you really look forward to something, in this case spring, and when it comes you aren’t happy with it?  Is it just me?

As I continued raking, faster now so I could finish the area I set out to do on this trip outside, I could hear my own voice in the back of my mind telling someone else, “This is one way to know you are not focused on Christ.”

Oh great, my own words convict me!

OK, time to get my mind pointed in the right direction…

Wow, isn’t it amazing how much easier things are when your mind is focused on Christ instead of on what you don’t like?  It doesn’t take long for the heaviness in your arms to fade, nor does it take long to decide to do more than you started out to do.  Where a few minutes before I was thinking only of quitting and going inside and sitting down, now I was having fun doing a job I don’t like.

Thank you Lord for answering my prayers and being there with me while I raked this morning; hey, are You busy later?  I have a few things to do this morning, maybe we could go out and rake some more after lunch…