Side effects of faithfulness...

The rain has come and gone. Cooler temps and sunshine will be here and....I HAVE TO CUT GRASS NOW! Ugh. One thing I am coming to realize is how much grass cutting can produce some of my best sermons that nobody ever hears. Oh, I preach a mean sermon when I'm mindlessly pushing the mower around the yard. My mind thinks clear cogent thoughts and ties scripture together magnificently. At the end of the grass cutting chore, I bust it to the computer to empty out exegetical truths, homeletical plots, and hermeneutical clarity. Fall grass cutting always offers a special dividend for me beyond a nice looking lawn and sermon prep. The leaves get gone! Funny how an unexpected event occurs in the process of doing another task. My mower unwittingly mulches leaves!!

I just read an article entitled, "Walking Throught the Wilderness", written by Rob Renfroe of Good News. He shared how wilderness experiences are never welcomed and when we successfully avoid them we often miss unexpected benefits. I could hire somene to cut grass and rake leaves. I choose to tackle these jobs. Cutting grass and mulching leaves in the same job is....A WIN! Cutting grass and thinking clearly about Holy scripture is....A WIN! Walking though a wilderness experience and realizing God needed us there to show his glory is...A WIN!

Where are you right now? Does it feel as though you are in the middle of a desert? If so, stop! Look around! Listen closely! Exhale slowly! Rest Easy! The words of our creator are offered to you and I at just the right time. Take a look.

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you

and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his

commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither

you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word

that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, NIV)

Depend on God; especially when your life is in a desert season. The season is temporary. It is not unknown by God. God can use your situation for His glory and your spiritual growth. God may have allowed you to go there to get your attention. God is with you.

Your wilderness season is probably more distasteful than cutting grass or raking leaves, but trust that God will offer you His grace, love, and peace in the middle of your journey and just when you least expect it. Rest where you are and wait. Be faithful.