Mowing Over the Gifts

Ahh, spring is in the air and you know what that means- Yard Work, two of the most dreaded words in my language. I have to be honest; I hate yard work. I thought buying a house with a beautiful yard full of trees would encourage me to have a change of heart, but I was wrong. Even in my childhood you could hear me say, “I’ll take the spinach and the Brussels sprouts, just please don’t make me do the yard work!”

Because I am usually the only one home during the day, a by-product of being a fledgling writer, the job of mowing and raking the yard usually falls to me. This requires that I become familiar with yard accessories otherwise known as “tools.” Now mind you, the “tools” belong to my husband. He just gives them to me on loan for my special projects like cutting and raking HIS yard. Even though I get to use these precious “tools,” I don’t always know how to operate them correctly.

For example, recently I was mowing the lawn when I noticed a section of the grass that I seem to not be able to cut. Every time I mowed over it, the grass would lie down as if playing hide and seek. Now being a lazy perfectionist (and yes that is a real title, I made it up myself) I was determined to cut the stubborn area. I ran over it seventeen more times, before I finally decided to bring out the big guns. I went in and got the scissors.

Yes folks, the scissors! One of the greatest tools ever invented. They are so useful for more than just cutting things. For instance, I use them to pull nails out the walls when I am re-hanging pictures. This keeps me from having to call Bill and ask him where the tool that pulls nails out of the wall might actually be in the garage. When Bill goes to use them and sees that they are bent and asks me what happened, I sigh with a look of innocence and then promptly change the subject.

As I was saying, I took the scissors out to attack the lawn. As I knelt down and started to snip away at the long blades of grass, my husband Bill drove up. He rolled down his window and with a bemused look on his face had the nerve to say, “Uh honey, things might go a little faster if you used the lawnmower.” “Gee,” I replied, “What a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”

When Bill finally thought it was safe to step out of the truck, he went over to the lawnmower and announced that he had found the reason for my problem. The mower’s wheels were set too high and needed to be adjusted. I only thought I had been cutting the yard-in reality I had only been taking a little off the top and the sides. To Bill’s credit, he didn’t condemn my obvious lack of lawnmower 101 skills; he simply re-set the wheels and went inside the house to finish laughing hysterically.

God gives each believer a set of tools, known as “gifts”, that we are to use. But many times, like my lawnmower, we use them without really knowing how to operate them correctly. For instance, the Gift of Encouragement or Intercession for someone who has asked for our prayers in confidence becomes an opportunity to mow the person down in gossip. Or the chance to share the Gift of Wisdom and Discernment with a friend becomes an opening to nail them with judgment. The opportunity to demonstrate the Gift of Mercy can be snipped away by the scissors of resentment and constant desire to be acknowledged.

Learning to use our gifts correctly lightens our load and makes our journey here much easier. Unlike the lawn that I had to re-cut. And yes, this time it worked, but I have to confess, I still hate yard work.

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Mignon Murrell is Christian freelance writer whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines and online. She recently finished her first book, Stirring The Waters- Devotions for Inner Healing She is also a prolific speaker and singer.You can find out more about Mignon by viewing her website at: http://www.mignonmurrell.com
© 2008 Mignon Murrell

This column is used with permission.