Out of Gas

 

For those of you who didn't know, we have had record-breaking rain these last two years.  If God hadn't promised He wouldn't send another flood, I would start to wonder about the need to build another ark.  With so much rainfall, it seems that the grass needs to be cut constantly.  When I heard the soft roar of mower engines around the neighborhood, I knew that my lawn would need to be cut while we still had a dry day.  I tried to use my riding lawnmower, but my husband wife-proofed me from being able to get it.  He put these tiny little metal ramps leading up to our shed.  The only problem is that I'm apparently ramp-challenged.  After trying to back the lawnmower down said ramps, I nearly got myself stuck partially on the ramps and partially dangling between the ramps.  I managed to lurch back into the shed, but decided that the riding lawnmower was a no go.  This left my poor pathetic push mower as my only option.  My mower has seen so many tough days that the wheels turn in like it's pigeon-toed.  What makes mowing even more challenging is that there is now a moat one foot in front of my front porch leading across my lawn.  This moat was build to deter water from going under my house.  Have you ever tried to push-mow around a moat?  Let me tell  you, it's not easy.  As I neared the edge, I could feel my pigeon-toed mower sliding slowly into my alligator-free moat.  I would pull it out, only to continue the process across the twenty-foot length of moat.  After mowing around the front of the house, I noticed the lower part of my lawn could use a little trim, so I mowed that.  This made the upper part look sad, so I mowed that.  Before I knew it, what was going to be a little mowing around the front of my house became the whole lawn.  After two hours, I was close to calling it quits.  I had one strip in the middle left to do when I ran out of gas.  You may wonder why I would mow in such a weird pattern to leave the part in the middle for last.  This is because I mow like I shop.  When I shop I start pushing the shopping cart with a plan, but before I know it, I'm distracted and all the way across the store looking at cast iron skillets when I came in for milk.  This is also apparently my mowing technique.  So I dragged myself over to the garage, carried the heavy gas can to my mower, filled the mower, and carried the can back.  Once I had trudged back to the mower, I pulled the starter cord but nothing happened.  After yanking continually, I  realized it would not start so I gave up.  As you look across my yard, you see a lovely cut lawn with one strip of grass standing tall in the middle.  Doesn't this feel like life sometimes?  You work and work until suddenly you realize you've ran out of gas.  No matter how much you want to finish, you just can't get yourself going.  I've learned during the last few months of crazy, busy days that I need to take time to refill myself.  If I keep going without rest, time with God, and time for myself, I will run out of gas.  Here is the wonderful thing.  For those who feel the signs that you are running out of gas (the sputtering and slowing down), God has promised that He will fill you up.  Psalms 103:5 says, "He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! "(New Living Translation)  I know that as I push-mowed my lawn, I did not look like a youth.  I looked like someone dragging themselves across the finish line of a marathon.  But when we call on God and take time with Him, he refreshes us and gives us fresh perspective.  Don't run out of gas, run to God!

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!