It’s been several weeks since I’ve mowed the lawn. About 3 actually. Maybe more. It’s due. At least portions of it are. Other sections probably won’t need it until Spring. But I’m going to mow it all anyway. So I get on my lawn-mowing clothes, start up the mower and mow. Finishing the front and side yards I decide to make a quick phone call. I shut the mower off to do so. Bad mistake. After the 3 minute call I return to the lawn mower. It won’t start. I crank it again. And again. (A little digression here. Do you know why when you go to manually start a lawn mower they call it ‘cranking’? Let me tell you. It has nothing to do with mechanics. It’s because after trying to start it for 10 minutes straight and throwing your shoulder out you become ‘cranky’!!) Back to the story.
The lawn mower plain won’t start. I am hot and sweaty. I didn’t really want to mow the lawn in the first place (anyone got a goat?) but at this point I want to mow it NOW! Not Monday. Not an hour from now. NOW. I already have plans for later. (Actually I don’t but I certainly didn’t plan on mowing the lawn then.) So what to do? I calmly (that’s right, calmly) began to do a few other things that needed done. Then I returned to the lawn mower to give it another crank. No go. So I decided to make use of my time and blog about it. It’s the electronic version of complaining. Beth loves it. “Blog all you want. Just don’t complain to me!” What’s a man have to do to get some sympathy around here?
I figured I would blog about this incident because we all have times when our schedule gets interrupted. Things we want to do or get accomplished get delayed. Or don’t get done at all. Meanwhile, things we weren’t planning on doing, or at least doing now, are what we end up doing. It’s enough to make someone lose their sanctification! Actually it’s days like this that promote our sanctification. Let me explain.
I am firmly convinced that much of our sanctification happens in the little moments of life. Such as those times when our schedules get changed. Without our permission. A child gets sick. Or spills something. We can’t get on the Internet. Or the printer won’t work. We get a phone call at an inopportune moment. Or we meet someone at the store that we didn’t really have time to talk to - but did anyway. It’s how we react during times when our schedule gets changes that is directly proportional to our spiritual growth. Get frustrated, upset, or angry and we go backwards. More work for the Holy Spirit to do in our lives. Stay calm, cool and collected and we move forward. The Holy Spirit give us a high-five!
In Proverbs 19:21 we are told that “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” At some point in time, as Christians, we have to come to the realization that we are not Lord of our schedule. God is. Now the vast majority of the time we might indeed be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. But not always. That’s because as God, He gets the final say. And well He should. God knows the beginning from the end. He can factor in all kinds of situations and people that we are clueless about. As we deal with unplanned interruptions of our plans and schedules we need to trust God. Maybe, just maybe, someone else needed our attention at the moment. Maybe our ‘delay’ kept us from being in an accident. Or a better deal came our way. Maybe God knew we need to learn a lesson in patience. There are literally hundreds of reasons behind the scenes of why our schedules get rocked at times. The bottom line is that God is Lord of our schedule. As we concentrate on serving Him everything that He wants us to do will get done. And some of those things that we thought were so important? Well, they just might not get done at all. And that’s OK.
So, after 45 minutes I went out and tried the lawn mower. Started right up. (I think I flooded it earlier.) And I finished mowing the lawn. An hour later than what I had originally planned. But that’s OK. God wanted me to take a little test. And I passed. With flying colors if I must say so myself! Now, to continue on with my, er, God’s schedule. Let’s see, “Lord, I’m going to do this now. That is unless you have other plans for me.”
Lord, I thank you for what You are teaching me. That You are Lord of my Schedule. I don’t always realize this. Or even appreciate it at times. Sorry! Thank you for being so patient with me. Help me to be patient when things don’t happen in my timetable or the way I thought they would. Help me to realize that Father always knows best. Help me to be an instrument in Your hands to accomplish Your will on this earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The lawn mower plain won’t start. I am hot and sweaty. I didn’t really want to mow the lawn in the first place (anyone got a goat?) but at this point I want to mow it NOW! Not Monday. Not an hour from now. NOW. I already have plans for later. (Actually I don’t but I certainly didn’t plan on mowing the lawn then.) So what to do? I calmly (that’s right, calmly) began to do a few other things that needed done. Then I returned to the lawn mower to give it another crank. No go. So I decided to make use of my time and blog about it. It’s the electronic version of complaining. Beth loves it. “Blog all you want. Just don’t complain to me!” What’s a man have to do to get some sympathy around here?
I figured I would blog about this incident because we all have times when our schedule gets interrupted. Things we want to do or get accomplished get delayed. Or don’t get done at all. Meanwhile, things we weren’t planning on doing, or at least doing now, are what we end up doing. It’s enough to make someone lose their sanctification! Actually it’s days like this that promote our sanctification. Let me explain.
I am firmly convinced that much of our sanctification happens in the little moments of life. Such as those times when our schedules get changed. Without our permission. A child gets sick. Or spills something. We can’t get on the Internet. Or the printer won’t work. We get a phone call at an inopportune moment. Or we meet someone at the store that we didn’t really have time to talk to - but did anyway. It’s how we react during times when our schedule gets changes that is directly proportional to our spiritual growth. Get frustrated, upset, or angry and we go backwards. More work for the Holy Spirit to do in our lives. Stay calm, cool and collected and we move forward. The Holy Spirit give us a high-five!
In Proverbs 19:21 we are told that “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” At some point in time, as Christians, we have to come to the realization that we are not Lord of our schedule. God is. Now the vast majority of the time we might indeed be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. But not always. That’s because as God, He gets the final say. And well He should. God knows the beginning from the end. He can factor in all kinds of situations and people that we are clueless about. As we deal with unplanned interruptions of our plans and schedules we need to trust God. Maybe, just maybe, someone else needed our attention at the moment. Maybe our ‘delay’ kept us from being in an accident. Or a better deal came our way. Maybe God knew we need to learn a lesson in patience. There are literally hundreds of reasons behind the scenes of why our schedules get rocked at times. The bottom line is that God is Lord of our schedule. As we concentrate on serving Him everything that He wants us to do will get done. And some of those things that we thought were so important? Well, they just might not get done at all. And that’s OK.
So, after 45 minutes I went out and tried the lawn mower. Started right up. (I think I flooded it earlier.) And I finished mowing the lawn. An hour later than what I had originally planned. But that’s OK. God wanted me to take a little test. And I passed. With flying colors if I must say so myself! Now, to continue on with my, er, God’s schedule. Let’s see, “Lord, I’m going to do this now. That is unless you have other plans for me.”
Lord, I thank you for what You are teaching me. That You are Lord of my Schedule. I don’t always realize this. Or even appreciate it at times. Sorry! Thank you for being so patient with me. Help me to be patient when things don’t happen in my timetable or the way I thought they would. Help me to realize that Father always knows best. Help me to be an instrument in Your hands to accomplish Your will on this earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sure appreciate logging on & hearing a Word! Happy cranking!!
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