So I think my wife deceived me. She convinced me that Labor Day was actually a day set aside to have a contest to see how much work you can get done in a 12 hour period. AND I FELL FOR IT! For some reason I could not sleep Sunday night. Great day at church; wonderful worship; loved preaching Galatians 5; had lunch with great friends… but for some reason I just could not go to sleep. Maybe it was the thought of 83 year old Jerry Lewis staying up all night for his kid’s telethon. (I use to watch it every year.) Imagine… he has collected over $1.5 billion dollars since he began the telethon.
Anyway, after not sleeping most of the night, we were in the yard by 9:00 on Monday morning and we finished at 9:00 that night. We cleared the area between the road and back yard; measured for the line of the fence along the back; cut down trees; pulled down thorny vines from other trees; dug holes; placed timber for the fence; moved concrete bags that had harden from our lovely humidity; busted up the hard concrete with a mallet to make it usable; set the post; somewhere in all that we split a subway sandwich; Mary went to rehearsal at the church; then we closed off the day by moving 2 large pallets of 8 foot 2 X 4’s from the garage to the back yard. If there was a contest – then we won… and I want my prize!
One bright moment… we had two baby squirrels playing on our back deck. They were not afraid and came right to me… and no we are not making them pets.
During the day, God reminded of some truths in his word.
First were the thorny vines. They covered the trees along the road in our back yard. When you first see a vine growing, it is a small vine just a few inches long with a few leaves; not much to it and certainly nothing to take serious. But left unchecked it will quickly make its way up the tallest tree… and it will invite all of its siblings and cousins to climb along. It was not easy removing those things. My legs and arms look like I got into a fight with Edward Scissorhands. I did get some cool cuts on my legs. One looks like the mark of Zorro. Then there is the triangle and an upside down 7. (I know I’ve got a weird sense of humor.)
Sin is like that. It may start out harmless and small, but it will soon overwhelm your life. It will affect everything. Once it has weaved itself into your thoughts and your behavior – it affects those around you. It’s not easily removed and sometimes takes the help of others… maybe you have the scars that prove this to be true.
The other truth was revealed through a couple of baby squirrels. As I was going to get a drink, this very small squirrel was looking for something to drink on our porch. As I approached, he wasn’t nervous, nor did it run off. In fact, it crawled right towards me. I got a saucer of water and he got his fill. Soon his sibling showed up. Then I remembered… last Thursday, we found a dead squirrel at the bottom of the tree the babies were in. So they are probably orphaned. God reminded me that if He is aware of even the smallest of his creatures, certainly he is aware of my needs.
(Jesus) What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. Matt. 10:29
(God) I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. Psalm 50:11
