Weeds have taken over our yard. We did not tackle them in time this year, so we lost the battle. The combination of crazy weather, my husband's business travel & 3-week long gout attack, and our overly busy schedule these past couple months, created quite a hurdle to yard work. It shows. So this past weekend we made a plan for how to tackle the weed challenge. The plan was to spend two evenings during the week and two days during the weekend, pulling all the weeds and getting the yard into shape. Yesterday was the first evening of this plan. I was dragging with no energy all day long, and really dreading yard work after dinner. (Who am I kidding, I only had half of dinner prepared to begin with, so I was really behind!) By the time my husband came home from work, I was ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat....before we even began. He suggested I run my errand alone, while he finished up dinner (he is so much better with fresh vegetables than I am anyway), and see if that didn't pep me up a bit. My errand was to run some leftovers from a church BBQ, to an elderly family at our church, so that kind of social interaction is always a boost! It worked. I had a better attitude by the drive home. Then, a big blessing walked my direction as I was getting out of the van....
A man called out to me from a distance, as he walked across my driveway. His first sentence grabbed my attention immediately, "Ma'm, I am a Christian." He had my undivided attention now. He went on to explain where he went to church and that he taught Sunday school, and that he was up against some tough times but he knew God was going to take care of him, and that He already had. This man was a walking testimony to ways that God supplies all our needs. He had lost his job, lost his home, and lost nearly everything he had. He had landscaping skills that he was falling back on, so he was going around offering to do any sort of yard work for any amount people were willing to pay him. His church was helping him out. Many of my neighbors were helping him out. He was determined to keep his family out of the homeless shelter. He was proud of himself that he did not resort to drugs or alcohol. Clearly, I met him on the upside of this challenge he was facing, because he mentioned how he has been able to keep his family fed (wife & 3 kids) even if they were only eating Ramen, that he was willing to work hard, that his wife tucked away a little out of each payment he received to the point that they just moved out of a hotel into an apartment 8 days ago. In addition to needing food, he was now trying to save for a car. I was impressed that his marriage continued to be strong in such adversity. I was impressed by the strength of his faith in God. I was impressed by the accuracy that he quoted the scripture that he lived by. I was almost laughing because of the JOY I felt on the inside that God had sent someone to pull my weeds!
I explained to the guy that we had plenty of weeds to pull, if he wanted the job. I went inside and told the story to my husband. His first response was, "So you were praying for someone to come pull the weeds?" I had to admit that even though I did not pray out loud for such a thing, it was the desire of my heart!
So many blessings occured in that one evening. Our front yard and driveway were cleared of weeds. We paid the guy for his work, and gave him a couple sacks of groceries to help feed his family, along with the invitation that he could return this weekend (after payday) and we would pay him to clear the side yard as well. Our children were shown that our family helps others in need. AND, I was reminded that God knows my heart, and he is willing to answer my petty prayers too!
A man called out to me from a distance, as he walked across my driveway. His first sentence grabbed my attention immediately, "Ma'm, I am a Christian." He had my undivided attention now. He went on to explain where he went to church and that he taught Sunday school, and that he was up against some tough times but he knew God was going to take care of him, and that He already had. This man was a walking testimony to ways that God supplies all our needs. He had lost his job, lost his home, and lost nearly everything he had. He had landscaping skills that he was falling back on, so he was going around offering to do any sort of yard work for any amount people were willing to pay him. His church was helping him out. Many of my neighbors were helping him out. He was determined to keep his family out of the homeless shelter. He was proud of himself that he did not resort to drugs or alcohol. Clearly, I met him on the upside of this challenge he was facing, because he mentioned how he has been able to keep his family fed (wife & 3 kids) even if they were only eating Ramen, that he was willing to work hard, that his wife tucked away a little out of each payment he received to the point that they just moved out of a hotel into an apartment 8 days ago. In addition to needing food, he was now trying to save for a car. I was impressed that his marriage continued to be strong in such adversity. I was impressed by the strength of his faith in God. I was impressed by the accuracy that he quoted the scripture that he lived by. I was almost laughing because of the JOY I felt on the inside that God had sent someone to pull my weeds!
I explained to the guy that we had plenty of weeds to pull, if he wanted the job. I went inside and told the story to my husband. His first response was, "So you were praying for someone to come pull the weeds?" I had to admit that even though I did not pray out loud for such a thing, it was the desire of my heart!
So many blessings occured in that one evening. Our front yard and driveway were cleared of weeds. We paid the guy for his work, and gave him a couple sacks of groceries to help feed his family, along with the invitation that he could return this weekend (after payday) and we would pay him to clear the side yard as well. Our children were shown that our family helps others in need. AND, I was reminded that God knows my heart, and he is willing to answer my petty prayers too!
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