Repairing ‘punch holes’ in walls is a skill I never imagined I would need to learn. I also never thought I would be driving a pick-up truck, pulling a trailer, and spending more time on a John Deere mower than in my own car. Leading youth in lawn and landscape projects…pretty sure if you ask anyone that knows me, we’ll all agree that no one could have predicted that. God is full of wonderful plans! I can remember when I first learned how to drive a riding mower, what a wonderful day!
Mowing at our farm in South Dakota was an all day endeavor, and my two brothers always seemed to be the chosen ones when this morning rolled around. My dad and brothers would walk out the back door, get all the mowers ready, examine the grounds to determine who would mow what, and hold deep and profound lawn mowing conversations. However, that wasn’t the exciting part. They always managed to come back home with some killer tan lines worthy of my jealousy. I was sold. While the gentlemen were enjoying the great outdoors and luminous sunshine, I was done being stuck inside playing Cinderella (maybe a slight exaggeration there). All I wanted was to have the wind in my hair while taking in the fragrance of freshly cut grass. However, most of all, I wanted that great, bronze, shimmering tan! I’d had enough. The next mowing day I stomped out the back door, in a very dramatic pre-teen kind of way, and began my sermon entitled, “Just Because I’m a Girl.” I’ll spare you the rest, as I am sure most of you have heard something of the like. Needless to say, the boys listened (or they wanted to silence me) and it was my moment of glory! I was mowing.
After a few lessons involving some talk about a PTO switch, staying focused, and not putting my fingers in stupid places, I was ready to take on the field. That day I mowed right alongside the big boys. Now, lets get one thing straight, according to my dad I am right brain dominant. What does that mean? Based upon my reaction, I think he felt a need to quickly explain or be forced to undergo another pre-teen freak out. Basically, he explained that right brain dominant people are better at expressive and creative tasks. “What does this have to do with mowing,” you may ask? Well, to a creative minded person like myself, going back and forth on a mower, while making boring, straight, parallel lines isn’t all that exciting. It’s lame. So, I decided to pursue something I like to call, “The Crop Circle Effect.” I thought it was pretty brilliant and something that would be much more captivating to look at. I made a lot of circular patterns and used all different blade lengths (insert correct lawn mowing verbiage). There were occasions where some areas of grass were missed because of random musical outbursts (usually ones that required both hands, producing some rhythmic drum beat on the steering wheel, while the mower is in motion), but no big deal! That is what we creative minded people like to call, serendipity. I mowed that day, but not only did I mow, I turned mowing into art. Oh, baby, was I proud.
At the end of the day, I was glowing, both in the beaming/happy way and in the tan/golden way. I had accomplished what I had set out to do. However, as I approached the men of my household, ready to join them in the pink lemonade toast to success, they were all looking at me and snickering. Being the demanding and sensitive pre-teen I was, I ordered an explanation for the laughter. So, my brothers being brothers had to share their two cents about my mowing technique. They informed me that in the world of mowing, “Crop Circles” are frowned upon and that I’d probably be better off leaving my artistic expressions to things involving pottery, paint, and a sketchbook. It seems that my artistic mowing performance was more amusing than helpful to our day’s success. However, my dad being the wonderful man and father he is, gave me a look of assurance, showing that he was proud, well pleased, and that he loved me.
As I spend these summer days mowing with these neighborhood kids, I have found I do a lot of thinking in the seat of a John Deere tractor. Whether its on my Grandpa Bill’s that resides at our family farm, or the snazzy CLDI mower that dwells here in the South Side, a lot of my thinking happens on these sunny afternoons. When I reflect upon this story, I am reminded of my Heavenly Father. I remember His patience and the time He takes to teach me things in life. Looking back at my first mowing adventure, I am so blessed to have a dad that didn’t judge my whole mowing career based upon one bad day of crop circles and uneven lines. In the same way, God doesn’t look at me and give up because of my mess-ups and times of disobedience. He continues to stick with me, teaching me, equipping me, and placing predestined opportunities at my feet to grow as His disciple. In the same way, He has created each person with a specific set of gifts to be used for His glory and His renown. Am I a great mower? No. That is why I am grateful for people who are wonderful mowers and who see the beauty of nice straight lines.
I am continually reminded that I cannot and will not be perfect at everything. There are a lot of things I don’t know how to do, and it is all right to admit that. I don’t know how to fix a weed eater, I don’t know how to patch a hole in a wall that has been punched, and I don’t know how to best love my neighbors all the time. There are days when I feel like the Queen of Missed Opportunities. Yet I’m reminded that when we are weak and feel totally inadequate, God continues to reveal Himself. Our faith rests in the same powerful God that spoke creation into being. What assurance. That same God chooses to use our weakness and foolishness to bring to light His authority and His incredible works.
I am thankful for the Body of Christ. I’m grateful to have brothers and sisters that are traveling this journey with me. Believe it or not, I’m thankful to my brothers for bringing to light the realities of my mowing. My mowing was horrible. I am thankful for their honesty because I know it came from a desire to see me grow. In the same way, I am thankful for the Body of Christ that calls me out in areas that I need to grow and mature in. We are not alone. The Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, is a beautiful image. Broken people being renewed daily because of the work of Jesus Christ. Let’s be a teachable people of the Most High God.
By Brittany Anthes
