I cut my grass yesterday. I also used the weed-eater. Each time I do, I find myself getting irritated. Please stay with me.

I’ve always tried to keep my lawn trimmed and cut. Not obsessively. After all, I have better things to do! Like ride my bike. Work out at the Y. Spend time with Jo. Twiddle my thumbs. Watching grass grow or paint dry almost seems more exciting.

Why? Actually, there are two minor reasons and one huge reason.

The Minors:

It always grows back. It’s not a one-and-done thing, so that means about every week I have to find the time to cut my grass.

Weeds! Need I say more? I know little children find those yellow things lovely and will pick them to give to their mom, but I find them annoying. Cut them down and they grow back. Quicker than the grass. And you gotta get them before they go to seed.

The Major:

One word: MOLES. I know it may be wrong for me to say it…and I know I probably shouldn’t talk about God’s creatures like this, but….I. H.A.T.E. M.O.L.E.S!!!!!! I tire of watching them taking my yard and making it their own little playground where they can frolic underground. I tire of stepping into holes or soft ground and turning my ankle or stumbling. I tire of having to push extra hard to get the mower through the runs that want to cause the mower to “hang up.” I groan when I see the bare spots from the raised ground where the mower zipped it off.

You might say, “Well, Bill, treat your lawn with grub killer, their favorite meal. ” I have and I do. But you have to be a weatherman to use that! I’m not wasting money to water my lawn, so I need it to rain within 24 hours. And to quote a line from Back to the Future: “Since when can the weatherman predict the weather?” Then I need to use it when the lawn is damp so the granules stick to the grass until it rains within the 24 hours. And…the wind needs to be not blowing. I don’t have a meteorology degree!

All in all, taking care of a lawn reminds me of my life. I need to care for it. Get rid of the weeds which keep cropping up. Eliminate pests (not people, although some are toxic). Practice the 4:8 Principle. That is Philippians 4:8-“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable…think on these things.”

Take care of your lawn. More importantly, take care of that which needs cared for most of all: your heart.