Living on a farm has its own unique set of seasons. Right now is the season when we prepare. We prepare the garden for planting; we prepare the storm shelter for bad weather, and we prepare the yard to be mowed.
As I was picking up the sticks from the yard and putting them into my cart, I was talking to God.
"Why do I have to pick up sticks. I mean I know why, so my sweet husband can mow. But why?"
I guess you can say I was complaining. I was on my second day of picking up the limbs and sticks, and my heart wasn't in it.
Then the Lord directed my mind to Moses.
He had to herd sheep.
Yep, for forty years, which is a lot longer then two days, he took them from one pasture to another, watching over them, defending them, leading them. God used those sheep to train Moses to lead his people.
So, I asked the Lord. "What are you training me to do through these sticks?" You should not ask the question unless you want the answer.
My verse for the year popped into my mind.
It goes like this: Rejoice Always (even while picking up sticks), pray without ceasing (even while picking up sticks), giving thanks in all circumstance (here are those sticks again); for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (put my name here).
So, I began to thank the Lord. "Thank you for these sticks, because it means that we have these beautiful trees. Thank you that I have to pick them up so we can mow because that means we have land and a home. Thank you for my husband because he is my true friend. Thank you for my cart, so I don't have to make multiple trips."
When I went to dump the cart, I added one more, "thank you that these are sticks and not stones, because it would have been harder if they were stones."
So, my lesson?
It's not just about being thankful in the big, but it's practicing being thankful in the small, the everyday, the sticks.
We must remember that rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in the doing of the ordinary is how we are prepared to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in the extraordinary circumstances when they come our way.
So, whatever the task at hand might be, rejoice, pray, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (my friend).
Finding God's Beautiful Pieces of Grace,
bym
bonitaymccoy.com