The First Time

We searched all around,
Finally, there they were, sitting on a shelf in a dark corner of the shed.
The little hands put on the bright orange ear muffs...
The world outside became dull and garbled...


The break is on...
Pull up the choke...
Turn the key...
The motor hums to life.


Anticipation...


Leaving the darkness of the shed to the late afternoon sun,
steep shadows cast along the grass.
Throttle down, blade on, throttle back up...


I show my son how to steer,
"now keep her strait"  I yell over the hum of the motor, through the orange muffs.
Two hands on each steering leaver,
Each tree he rounded with ease,


"keep her strait" I yelled again through the orange ear muffs.


We turned back on a row,
"Mom! I need your help!"
I look ahead,

The pool loomed in front of us.
It was so large, it was easy to maneuver around.


But- it was so large, it looked like it was going to be difficult.


I mowed for a few rows before my son took over again.


It made me think of our relationship with the Father.


How often do I easily navigate around the daily obstacles of life?
Like the trees in the lawn-
Even though it was my son's first time mowing, 
he navigated around the trees with ease.


But when it came to the pool, 
The big thing-
He needed someone to rest in.


Why would I only wait for the big things in life to rest in God?


How much neater would my lawn be if my son rested in me the whole time?


When we circled the trees, 
my son turned the lawn mower with ease. 
I barely touched the handles.


When we circled the pool, 
His hands were off of the steering leavers all together.




What if that is how it is?  When we rest in our Father, 
We go around obstacles with ease, 
He abiding in us and we in Him, 
Two hands on each steering leaver, 
His in control and ours resting.
So big things, or little things- 
The lawn of our life would look like it rested in Him.


So we cry out, 
"help me around this one" Father...  it's too big for me.


And he takes over.
(Because His hands are always there on the steering leavers with mine, 
I only need to give up control.)

My lawn has the occasional patch, 

some swerves

Things aren't quite strait.

But it was only his first try, 

And I am only on my first try at this life- 

my first and only try, 

With only one chance to go around, 

I hope I can rest in him...

Enough to help make my path strait.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart

   and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

   and he will make your paths straight