He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, like showers that water the earth. Psalm 72:6
Dad would always rush to mow the grass when he heard a rainstorm was headed our way. He said that the newly-cut grass would better absorb the water. It would grow more lush and thick. The mowing scattered the bugs that like to gnaw on the blades of grass, too. (It’s also easier to clean the lawnmower blades, but that’s not the point.) So he prepared the lawn for the blessing on the horizon.
I recall opening my bedroom window and smelling the freshly cut grass mixed with the rain in the air as it began dampening the soil. Now if Glade could capture that aroma in an air freshening spray…
So, when we read Psalm 72 in church, that verse made me smile as warmth spread over my heart. The psalmist also knew that aroma. He understood the importance of rain on a freshly mowed field.
I think God mows us down a bit in order to prepare us for the blessings on the horizon, too. He trims us so we can better receive His mercy and grace. We become more aware of His presence as He cuts a bit into our lives. And it scatters the negativity gnawing at our hearts. We grow better in His ways when we are trimmed back and are then more apt to soak in His blessings when they pour down upon us.
So during the next dry spell in your life, when you are not sure where God is in it all, listen for the sound of the heavenly lawnmower getting ready to prepare you for the blessings to follow. We all need a good trim now and then. Can you smell the sweetness of His mercy?
I listen to the weather forecast so I will know what to wear in the morning. I hang up the outfit I have chosen on the back of the door before I go to bed…after I make sure it has no stains, loose threads, or dangling buttons. Yep, I like to be prepared.
In this broken world there is going to be trouble. Disease will ravage a body, a house will be burglarized, a person killed by a crazed gunman or drive-by shooting. The person who vowed to love us forever might find another.
I took this photo one day after a rainstorm. The sky, as it reflected dramatically in the water of the lake, displayed God’s artistry in a breathtaking fashion. I was delighted to be able to capture the image. The photo has not been retouched. It’s real. I merely pasted the Scripture passage into the picture. It seemed an appropriate verse because it brought to my mind how every one of us can be reflections of God’s light, just as the placid lake reflected the glory of the sky that one day.
I knew it was there. I recalled downloading it in the past. It was exactly the picture I needed. But, even though I was confident it was somewhere in my folders, I had to search for it.
I was out of paper sacks, so I loaded my recyclables into a plastic trash bag and headed for the community recycling dumpster. I had full intentions of opening the sack and dumping its contents into the receptacle. The bag was simply a means to carry the items to their destination.
Maybe I am the only one who still uses an electric mixer instead of a bullet or processor, but the harvest gold one I got as a wedding present in 1976 still works just fine. I use it often in making crustless quiches, almond flour pancakes, and gluten-free, 
He decides to clean, remove, mold or polish first. Before we can get to the “beaters” we need to remove the other things I hadn’t noticed as an issue. I don’t think I have the time or the gumption, but He, in His eternal wisdom, knows the order in which to tackle things even if I do not. I have learned that instead of struggling, it is easier to take them one by one and untangle them from my life.
