Another beautiful day. Sunny, warm and just about perfect. I mowed the lawn even. And it is a stunning green. As I was admiring my completed husbandly task, I was wondering if I should set the sprinkler up on it and let the water flow. But then I thought, "Why? It's green. It doesn't need water." See, that's my problem...I usually wait until it becomes a fire hazard before I decide that water should have be applied to it long before that. And usually it is one certain friend who reminds me that I should be watering it and then so kindly reminds me that the lawn is now dead and that I have sucessfully killed another plant. I just never think about soaking it with water while it's green. It just doesn't seem all that important at the time. It still looks good and watering it is the last thing I think of.
Ah, the spiritual teachings that God reveled to my little 'ol heart on this one!
Too often my spiritual "lawn" looks the same way. Green, fertile and healthy. The last thing I think about is the "watering" that it needs to keep it that way. I'm just content to lay down in it and relax. Thinking that I have "arrived" and have the perfect lawn. Before I know it, I can't even walk across it with my tender little feet because the previously green blades are now brown and feel like knife blades. Then I sit back, scratching my balding head, and muse about what could have happened. It was so perfect not long ago, and now this! Then, a friend will stop by with the wonderful advice of, "Why didn't you "water" it? You almost killed it again." This will often times shock me out of my disbelief, and make me do something.
Trying to revive a dead spiritual lawn is not an easy task! It is so much easier and better to keep it up along the way. Not to mention, it looks better to those looking in from the outside. The brown spiritual lawn isn't what News Boys were talking about in the song Shine. Let them see what you have got! Yeah, brown is not attractive and dried out is not comfortable to walk on. Make them jealous...not with this lawn!
I am learning how to water and fertilize this lawn of mine. Continued prayer (pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians), don't worry about tomorrow but seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6), meditate on, and do the words of God (Joshua 1:8), love the Lord my God with ALL my heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22).
So, I don't know what your lawn looks like right now, but honestly, it's never too far gone. My lawn has gotten crusty brown too many times, and through the fertilizer and water mentioned above has come back to life. But, continued upkeep is so much nicer.
So, load that lawn up with water. Enjoy the green. Let others drive by and wish that they had a lawn like that. Maybe they will stop and ask how you do it.
Ok, gotta run...my lawn says it's thirsty and hungry!