To Mow or Not to Mow...That is the Question

Vince is a busy guy. He works massive amounts of hours each week. I am also busy, but I get the privilege of being a stay-at-home Mom. My days are busy, my time is valuable and I try to make every hour count.

Ever since we moved into our house, we have been sharing "lawn responsibilities." We have a big yard and it takes a lot of time to keep it up. We decided that Vince would mow the lawn and I would fertilize and weed whack (or edge or trim or whatever terminology you like).

All has been good for the past 6 years. Our yard looks awesome and our duties are shared...fair and square.

This year I felt like God was telling me to do something that I didn't necessarily want to do. I felt like He was asking me to take over the lawn mowing. I thought, "Are you crazy? Do you know how long it takes me just to weed whack? If I add mowing it will take me about 2 1/2 hours. I don't have time for that. I must be hearing you wrong! Everything is fine the way it is. Surely Vince needs something to do at home...Unbelievable!"

Had I listened to myself I would not be mowing the lawn. But, I decided to listen to God and take over the job. It's hard. It kicks my butt. But I do it. And I try to do it with the attitude that I am serving God, my husband and my kids by doing this. Most times I do it with joy, but every so often I start thinking, "He doesn't even notice! Why am I doing this? I don't have time!"

I talked to a girl today who is sick and tired of being "in charge" of her family (daily responsibilities, house, budget, kids, etc. etc.). I can relate. She vented for a while and I told her that I totally understand because I am also, to a large degree, "in charge" of my family. She asked, "How do you do it?" I said, "On my own I would crash and burn. On my own I would grow bitter and resentful. But every day I ask God to help me and give me His attitude. And most days I allow Him to give me His attitude. In order for that to happen, though, I need to be connected to Him on a daily basis." The only way I can mow the lawn and consider it a joy is if I am connected to God.

I don't write all this to make you proud of me or to think I'm cool. I write all this to challenge you. How connected are you to God? How often are you listening to Him instead of to yourself? How often are you truly putting someone else before you? What is one thing that you could do to help free up some time for your husband; to give him a break? Ask God for direction. Don't be surprised if you end up in a place you don't want to be, doing something you don't want to do. So stay close to God and ask Him to give you His attitude. And then allow Him to!

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