Good morning! A few years ago, we had family members taking care of our dogs while we were away on vacation. We used to have a triangle shaped mulch bed next to our driveway and if someone parked in the street in front of the house, they would normally walk next to it on the grass to get to the front door.
The reason I’m giving you this seemingly unnecessary detail is because when we got back from vacation, I noticed the grass was dipped down under the wooden border, right around the area where people would walk. As I cautiously got closer to investigate, I noticed that our cesspool was beginning to collapse!
We had issues with the main line from the house to the cesspool getting clogged in the past, so we reached out to the company that we used previously. When they arrived, they confirmed it was the cesspool and connected us with another company to have the work done.
Within the next couple of days, our front yard was completely dug up and unrecognizable. They brought in an excavator to collapse and fill in the old cesspools, and dig huge holes for the new units that would replace them. When the work was complete, we were left with a lumpy and sandy dirt mix.
I tried leveling the yard the best that I could before the Fall and Winter came and the ground got too hard to work. The following Spring, we had something to the tune of 25 yards of topsoil delivered, making up two big piles in our front yard. The work was hard and physical, but it was necessary to achieve the outcome we were looking for.
Thankfully, my Dad came up to give me a hand and we put one shovel full at a time into the wheel barrow and spread it out into the yard. This seemed to take forever, but little by little the piles kept getting smaller. After the topsoil was spread out and leveled, we laid the new grass seed, the fertilizer, and used a heavy roller to get them into the ground and level the soil even further.
Afterwards, we set up the sprinklers and then it became a waiting game, trusting in the work that we did, and the consistency, care, and attention we gave to watering the seed to give it what it needed to grow. Now, years later, we always get compliments from people about that part of our lawn.
In the book of Galatians, the Bible talks about this when it says…
“A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:7b-8
My Dad and I worked hard to reap an outcome of a level yard with thick green grass. We took the required steps and put in the necessary work. From that time and through this very day, I have continued to care for it by watering and fertilizing to keep it healthy.
This is so similar to our lives. Sometimes there are things under the surface in our lives that pose a potential hazard for us and the people around us (the dipping of the grass as the cesspool was beginning to collapse). They may not know it, but if it’s not dealt with, you may not be the only one experiencing pain or hurt.
But thankfully, we have a loving, compassionate, and gentle Savior who if invited, will come and make all things new. It doesn’t always look pretty when He comes into our lives because of the transformation that needs to take place. Sometimes we have made mistakes with real consequences and it will take hard work to get back to a place that we can build from.
The most important part is that we invite Jesus into our lives – He has already done the work that was required by God! But the next important thing is for us to continue to care for the relationship that Jesus has made available to us by constantly allowing Him to trade our views for His; our desires for His; our passions for His. This is not always something that takes place overnight, but little by little, day by day, we begin to notice the piles getting smaller!
What are you working hard for today? Is it something with temporary value, or eternal value? Is it something to please yourself, or to please God? Let’s start our day by asking God to speak to us about where He wants us to put our time and effort today. God will speak through His Word, through prayer, through conversation with other believers, through bumper stickers on cars (as ridiculous as that may sound) – God is always speaking, we just need to be quiet and listen.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder today to pay attention to what we are working for. Help us to always put our time and effort into things that will make an eternal impact. Thank You for fulfilling the requirement for us to receive salvation and help us to honor You by the way we live. Let our lives display Your transformative power by the way You renew our lives – trading the lumpy, sandy dirt mix and replacing it with a thick green lawn! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 