A Tale of Two Yards
Sometimes the best way to understand problems in your own life is to
walk in someone else's neighborhood. One day I took my car in for new
tires. Rather than sit in the waiting area and breathe the smell of rubber
for an hour, I took a walk. A few blocks later, houses, trees, and flowers
surrounded me.
Gentle wind moved deep green branches. Orange and gold nasturtiums sparkled in the sunlight. But the glorious day was some what wasted on me.
I had just received two rejections for a kids series I thought was promising. The more rejections piled up, the more I questioned my writing direction, in fact writing in general. A little discouragement goes a long way.
Then I stopped to look at an unusual yard. Every blade of grass clipped,
hedges shaped, lawn edged. Happy bunches of kale, lettuce and carrots
grew in two raised beds. A shade tree swayed as if to music. I couldn't
help but smile as I walked on. A few feet and one hedge later I stopped again but for the opposite reason.
Dandelions gone to seed filled the yard next door. A moldy throw rug
hung in a wilted tree. Dented pop cans and food wrappers scattered
across the dry grass. A rusted pet carrier lay on it's side against the
hedge. An empty grocery bag blew past me like a tumble weed. The
torn screen door and taped window on the house completed the picture.
The first yard spoke diligence and revealed the power of direct and steady effort.
The second yard spoke negligence and revealed we only have to ignore something to destroy it.
As often happens the Lord nudged my thoughts back to my struggle and
encouraged me to consider it from the view of two yards. The only real
difference between them was hard work, not a lack of opportunity or money. Pulling weeds and planting seeds are equal opportunity options. One family worked in their yard while the other walked past theirs.
How much real work had I put into my writing projects? How many
times did I let endless distractions steal the time I planned to spend
working at my craft?
The tale of two yards tells me I can't give up on the series idea because I haven't worked at it enough to say I've tried. If it were a yard, I still had
weeds to pull, grass to mow, seeds to plant and water. I walked back to
my car with renewed resolve.
If we want to be happy with what we accomplish, to feel contentment
of a project well done, there's no way around working at it. That's one
reason Jesus said, "If you know these things happy are you if you do
them" (John 13:17). This simple cure from the Lord has the power to
change our lives if we'll put it into practice.
walk in someone else's neighborhood. One day I took my car in for new
tires. Rather than sit in the waiting area and breathe the smell of rubber
for an hour, I took a walk. A few blocks later, houses, trees, and flowers
surrounded me.
Gentle wind moved deep green branches. Orange and gold nasturtiums sparkled in the sunlight. But the glorious day was some what wasted on me.
I had just received two rejections for a kids series I thought was promising. The more rejections piled up, the more I questioned my writing direction, in fact writing in general. A little discouragement goes a long way.
Then I stopped to look at an unusual yard. Every blade of grass clipped,
hedges shaped, lawn edged. Happy bunches of kale, lettuce and carrots
grew in two raised beds. A shade tree swayed as if to music. I couldn't
help but smile as I walked on. A few feet and one hedge later I stopped again but for the opposite reason.
Dandelions gone to seed filled the yard next door. A moldy throw rug
hung in a wilted tree. Dented pop cans and food wrappers scattered
across the dry grass. A rusted pet carrier lay on it's side against the
hedge. An empty grocery bag blew past me like a tumble weed. The
torn screen door and taped window on the house completed the picture.
The first yard spoke diligence and revealed the power of direct and steady effort.
The second yard spoke negligence and revealed we only have to ignore something to destroy it.
As often happens the Lord nudged my thoughts back to my struggle and
encouraged me to consider it from the view of two yards. The only real
difference between them was hard work, not a lack of opportunity or money. Pulling weeds and planting seeds are equal opportunity options. One family worked in their yard while the other walked past theirs.
How much real work had I put into my writing projects? How many
times did I let endless distractions steal the time I planned to spend
working at my craft?
The tale of two yards tells me I can't give up on the series idea because I haven't worked at it enough to say I've tried. If it were a yard, I still had
weeds to pull, grass to mow, seeds to plant and water. I walked back to
my car with renewed resolve.
If we want to be happy with what we accomplish, to feel contentment
of a project well done, there's no way around working at it. That's one
reason Jesus said, "If you know these things happy are you if you do
them" (John 13:17). This simple cure from the Lord has the power to
change our lives if we'll put it into practice.
God Bless the work of our hands.
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