When I was younger, I loved reading scary stories. In fact, I loved all things horror. I am not as much of a fan these days, though occasionally I still enjoy a good scare. Have you read my post “Big Fat Hairy Deal” yet? If so, you know why. Anyway, Stephen King was probably my favorite author. I actually just read a book by him that I really enjoyed. It was a quick read, and scary, but not too scary. I’ll be posting about it in the “Love It” section of the blog soon. But I digress. Seems to be a common theme with me. LOL.
One of Stephen King’s stories that I read as a teen was “The Lawnmower Man.” They made a movie very loosely based on the story. I didn’t care for the movie, because it was so unlike the book, but the short story was great. The Lawnmower Man would literally eat people’s yards and anything that got in his path. The image of that was so gruesome and horrific, a man covered in bits of grass and blood. Yikes! If you don’t like horror, I’m sorry for being a little graphic. As you can imagine, that might make a person a little afraid of lawnmowers. I am a little nervous around them sometimes, but Hope is not afraid.
Hope is not a person. Hope is a dog. She is my dog, and we found her the day we were heading out of state to my Uncle Roger’s funeral. I thought the world of him It was a hard time, as you can imagine, but having a puppy traveling with us helped so much. We had Hope, and because of our faith in Jesus, we also had Hope. Her full name is Hope in the Darkness, but that is story for another time. I’m great at teasers, aren’t I? Anyway…
I handle pretty much everything at my house, including mowing the lawn, and sometimes Hope and our other dogs are outside with me. On one particularly hot day this summer, Hope had been running alongside the mower, barking and playing until she was exhausted. So, she laid down. As I zoomed around the yard, and I do go fast, I approached where Hope was laying. I thought she would jump up in fear, because I was really close, but… She stayed put.
Why did Hope not run? That mower was at full speed, so loud I could barely hear myself in my own head. Just another inch to the left, and her paw would have been grabbed up by the spinning blades and torn to shreds! Why didn’t she run? Hope didn’t run, because she trusted me.
Hope was tired, and she needed to rest. She wanted to rest. And she knew she could, even with the mower right beside her, because I was in control of the machine. Hope actually looked peaceful laying there in the grass inches from the death machine. She knew I wouldn’t hurt her. As long as she stayed still and allowed me to do my work, the mower was not going to gobble her up.
That is what it is like to have God in your life. No matter what happens, if you remember that He is in control, that He is the one driving the mower, you can rest easy. He can give you peace in the midst of total chaos, grass flying everywhere, bugs running for their lives, noise at a deafening level, and occasional rocks being thrown out at light speed.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should be foolish. If Hope had gotten up and moved into the mower’s path, it wouldn’t have ended well for her. God gave us good sense for a reason, and we aren’t supposed to put Him to the test. But if we know He is in control, we can know that he is using whatever happens in our life for good. I got the grass cut, and it looked awesome, and Hope was fine too.
Finding Joy: Do you hear the mower coming? Maybe it is almost on top of you. Do you feel sure it is going to destroy you, this storm you are in or about to face? When you want fear, remind yourself who is in control. God is driving the mower, and He will not let it destroy you. Tell yourself that over and over. Breathe deep and rest in that fact. He is at work, and what He makes, just like a manicured lawn, is beautiful in the end.
Related Scripture:
Psalm 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
Psalm 27:1 – The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
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