One Blade at a Time

By Barbara K.

Last summer, God and I were hanging out together. I didn’t feel His presence at first, though. He was just observing. Anyway, I have this piece of a gas lawnmower. You have to prime it at least 10 (that’s t-e-n) times more than the 5 times it supposedly takes to start. After that you have to pull the string at least 2-3 times. Well, that’s what I do now, after last summer! Before God and I had this moment in the yard, I had to prime that mower at least 25 times, and pull that string almost as many times.

Well, it was a warm, sunny summer day, and I thought my 80+ year old mom would enjoy sitting outside. So, I invited her to keep me company. I even brought the dog outside. I started pulling that string. I pulled it so many times…I jerked it, pulled it hard, pulled it gradually, and pulled it to the side. Finally, my arm and chest muscle were aching. (Those of you who are breast cancer survivors might understand that muscle pain). My mother was looking on, not saying much. Finally, she offered to try. She is slightly over 5’ 5”, and only slightly over 130 lbs. She has poor balance and equally poor eyesight. She’s had several strokes, too. So, I said, “Sure!” Yep, I let her go for it!!! She couldn’t even pull the string out all of the way! Wish I could see your faces.

After resting, and thinking that all of the neighbors were standing in their windows with big grins, I got up to try again. I bent over, put my hand on the cord, looked at my dog, Coltrane and asked, “Coltrane, do you pray? If you do, then pray!” Pulled the string, and vroooooooooooom! I was smiling and mowing.

When it was time to mow the back lawn, I refused to turn the temperamental piece of metal off. I mowed up the middle of the driveway to the back! And I looked at that grass standing almost a foot! I heard the voice of one of the many handymen that had offered their unsolicited expertise. “You’re going to have to chop that grass down with a sickle before you can mow it.” Well, I didn’t have a sickle. I started in, and the mower cut off. My mother had taken a seat. I knew what she was thinking. I just didn’t want her to say it. “Don’t you think that’s too much for you?” Guess what? She didn’t say it.

I started the mower again, first try. I realized the tall grass was clogging the blade. I had an idea. If I mowed a little, then backed up, and mowed a little more, the lawn mower would stay on. But I looked at the space, and my heart sank. It really looked overwhelming. It was too much for me to do. Yet I felt a determination, an urging force, and I continued with my idea. Blade by blade, patch by patch, and section by section---going back and forth. Suddenly, I was done! I turned around to rejoice. My mother and the dog had gone back into the house. I wanted to share this God epiphany!

Drenching with the sweat of my message, I ran in the house and called my Aunt Lois long distance. It was the topic of her Sunday school lesson the next day. God had me to call my mother outside to witness the lesson. He worked with me from the front of my house, up the driveway, and into the backyard. He placed his finger over my mother’s lips. She was not to discourage me. God said He had “this!” I doubted at first, but I held onto that mower, and little by little I conquered that yard. When I looked at it all, it was overwhelming. However, when I released my doubt, and replaced it with belief, I won.

“I can’t see how I’m going to do this Lord. It’s too much!” He tells us to relax, because He knows exactly how we can do it. All we have to do is hold His hand. “My” idea was My Father speaking just to me. My epiphany was understanding what God was saying to me. “Not my will but Thy will…peace be still…only believe…all things are possible.” My dear mother? She was to watch. “Watch Me work with her. You can learn too. She will do this as soon as she realizes she only has to handle what is right there before her. But, she has to have faith that it can be done.”

When our life is too complex, when we are overwhelmed with adversity, burdens, and life; we can help ourselves by remembering “only one blade, one patch, one section, holding His hand”. Let me tell you, that day my hand was calloused from gripping that mower! There is nothing wrong with holding God’s hand firmly! Don’t let it go! Not for one minute. If you let go of the handle of the mower, it CUTS OFF! If you let go of God’s Hand, how are you going to keep going?
I’m learning.