Lawn-mowing communion.

I'm not sure what it is about being out in the yard.

For whatever crazy reason, I always seem to feel closest to God while mowing the lawn. It's like the noise of the mower drowns out the noise of the world, and I can talk to Him knowing that He's the only one who can hear me over the dull roar of the mower's engine.

So, last night, after work and after the frustration with 'one more thing', I went home and fired up the mower. The yard needed it, and I needed it.

And, it didn't take long to hear God speak in His soft, subtle ways. And He quickly reminded me that He's trying to teach me the same things I'm trying to teach Jacob.

I have days where I hate my job,
  This little town, and the whole
    world, too.
And last Sunday when the [Royals] lost,
  Lord, it put me in a bad mood.
I have moments when I curse the rain,
  And then complain when the sun's
    too hot.
I look around at what everyone has,
  And I forget about all I've got.

But I know I'm a lucky man.
God's given me a pretty fair hand.
Got a house and a piece of land,
  A few dollars in a coffee can.
My old truck's still runnin' good.
My ticker's ticking like the say it should.
I've got supper in the oven,
  A good woman's loving,
  And one more day to be my little
    kid's dad ...
Yeah, I'm a lucky man.I found myself humming the Montgomery Gentry song 'Lucky Man', focusing particularly on the part about 'cursing the rain, then complaining when the sun's too hot.'

After the ritual two laps around the outer edges of the yard, I had already regained 'focus'. I took a quick break, came in (using the excuse that I needed to put on a t-shirt because it was warmer outside than I'd expected) and posted my 'apology' for all of the whining I'd been doing over the past week.

When I went back out the yard, I was refreshed. My perspective was already changing.

Hopefully, I can hold on to that for more than just a few days.