What a lazy mower!
The lawn
was lush and dark green. The edges were
trimmed. The sidewalk was blown
clean. But right in the middle of the
lawn were 100 little bits of white paper.
I walk
through my neighborhood in the morning before it gets hot. It’s a good time to check out how things are
faring. Hate to say it, but I’m getting
more and more critical as I get grumpy and old.
I know
exactly what happened because I have done it many times. You’re pushing the mower along and there’s a
piece of paper in your path. If you let
go of the handle to stop and pick the paper up, the mower quits and you have to
pull the rope to start it again.
“The mower
will just mulch it up,” you rationalize.
So you plow
over it and the piece of paper becomes 100 little pieces. But they don’t blow away. And it rains that night. And your dumb decision is on display for your
critical neighbor walking by the next morning.
I can just
hear whoever mowed. “It wasn’t my job to
pick the paper up. It was my job to
mow.”
I got this
picture many years ago, and it still makes me laugh.
I’m on
summer break and have the wonderful luxury of complete control over most of my
days. What will I do today? Whatever I want.
But the
little bits of paper on the lawn reminded me of a sermon I heard many years ago
by Chuck Swindoll on the Good Samaritan.
In his conclusion Dr. Swindoll pointed out when we ask, “Who is my
neighbor?” the answer is your neighbor is the person you see every day who has
a need you are fully capable of meeting.
So let’s
twist that principal just a little and apply it to, “What is my job today?” My job is anything I see in front of me that
needs to be done that I’m fully capable of doing.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds
to do, do it with all your might.
