The Lawn (August 2020)

I pushed the high-powered lawn mower through the grass and stopped to wipe my forehead. I turned my head back and discovered that a transformation had just taken place. Change was evident for all to see. My lawn, home to various animals, would receive my neighbor’s wave and “Great job” as he drove by. The grass that at one time was three inches high was reduced to an inch.

When I think back to my time in Florida where sometimes I had to cut the grass twice a week in the summer, I am not so sure I enjoyed pushing the lawn mower back and forth. However, I enjoyed how quickly the change I sought took place. By the way, I also like microwaves, fast internet, and no lines.

I have wondered why the immediate change I want to see in myself can not look like the lawn after a cut. The change needed and the change God seeks for me feel more like a pot roast cooked in a crock pot. The meal started early in the morning is still not ready when I return home. It is a slow process, like the aging of cheese. In the production of cheese, the ripening develops the appearance, texture, flavor, and aroma. These qualities make cheeses unique. (I just looked that up. It is a metaphor for growing in Christ)

In the process of my own transformation to act like Christ which is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am too often preoccupied looking at someone else’s stuff. I am quick to magnify their need to be cleaned up immediately. How dare they remain unchanged while the changes God desires in my heart are minimized and self- defensiveness and self-justification become my teammates. Sometimes this team tells me what I want to hear.

At salvation, God instantaneously forgives us of our sins and His Spirit resides in us. It is a moment where one moves from death to life. It is a distinct moment where many say their eyes are opened and change sought now seems possible because of Christ. In Jesus, change is not just confined to the things I will no longer do, but from the regenerated heart, change is about things I will now begin to see and do.

In Jesus,

Pastor Rich

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23)