Mowing Grass and the Christian Life

I was mowing my shaggy looking grass today.  Now it looks neat and tidy.  What does mowing my grass contribute to my spiritual life?  Well, first of all there is what theologians call the “cultural mandate” in Genesis 2:28 … fill the earth and subdue it.”  My wife has the job of filling our backyard with children, grandchildren, flowers and birds.  She does a great job of it.  My job is to subdue the grass.  With my walk-behind mower and electric weed wacker I cut the grass down to right size.  Then there is the fact that our life must back up our verbal witness.  My friend Wali Ahmad once said, “Christians say they want to spend eternity in a beautiful paradise called Heaven, but their backyard looks like hell.”  Why not work to make our homes a little more like heaven?  Love, joy, peace, order, neatness and beauty all have their place in being a witness for Christ.  Think about it!