Self-Propelled

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” –Phil. 4:13 Suddenly it’s summer! All of the best seems to pop up in spring and summer in the Ozarks. That yard that was ugly and needing sod is suddenly beautiful (weeds and all). Those barren trees are now large and full (and dropping pollen). And the electric bill is smaller (though the flower bill is larger). I know I’m weird, but one of my favorite summertime jobs is mowing the lawn (or for us southerners, “cutting the grass”). I love my job as a “people-helper,” but in helping people, it’s difficult to measure success and failure. Unlike a baker or factory worker, I don’t often see the good result of my work. I think that’s why I enjoy seeing the lawn mowed and groomed and perfect. So, last weekend, I experienced a relative disaster. Sure, bombs explode and earthquakes quake, and fire’s burn. But when my lawn mower malfunctions, the earth stands still. My aging mower lost its self-propelling capability. And with the crazy terrain of my yard, self-propelling is a must. Truth is, the self-propelling system on my mower had been failing for a while and I didn’t even know it. I discovered that, even though I pulled the lever to engage the drive, it wasn’t working. I was actually applying all the power to move the mower. So, I made that wonderful trip to Lowes and looked over their beautiful (and expensive) mowers. Shiny and new, they all looked great. But my eye caught the wonderful Husqvarna-Honda rear-wheel-drive mower and I was sold. It cost a little more, but I was in love (sorry Jeanie). I took it home, unpacked it, filled it with oil and gas, and let her rip! It was amazing and so easy. I could have cut every yard in the neighborhood! The greatly improved self-propelling feature was nothing short of amazing. It’s a feature provided on nearly all mowers. Of the ten mowers I looked at in Lowes, nine had the self-propelling feature. Why? Because it’s too much work to push the dead weight of a mower up and down hills. When I finished the yard, I cleaned my new mower and put it back in the storage shed. A question hit me, “Why would I purchase the self-propelling feature but elect not use it?” I could only think of one reason: control. When the self-propelling drive is engaged, the semblance of control is lost. It’s harder to turn and maneuver - but well worth the loss. It’s true of our lives as well. When we surrender our lives to Christ, he provides us with a self-propelling feature (and it came with a price). If we pull the lever, God, via the Holy Spirit, provides the very power and strength we need. He powers us up the hills and navigates us through the struggles and blessings of life. But we have to pull the lever and leave it engaged. The lever of God-dependency requires us to yield to His will and way. God-dependency moves us in the ways He desires. God-dependency requires us to let go of our need to control. God-dependency requires us to yield to His results. What a wonderful blessing. We weren’t designed to navigate through life by ourselves. As Bill Gillam once said, “We’re God critters. We’re at our best when we’re under the Lord’s control.” We’re in sync when we’re allowing God to be the self-propelling power of our lives. Sure, we can push and pull. We can strive and work to get our “mower” from here to there. We can even push the lever without letting it actually engage the drive. But we’ll end up frustrated, tired and directionless. Let the Lord be your drive today. No matter the course or topography of your yard, He is more than capable of being your strength. No matter the circumstance, settle in His might. Let go of control. Let Him have His way and you’ll be at rest… …and the yard will be beautiful. By Eric Joseph Staples © www.lifeaid101.com