forty days vol. 3

I looked out the window and saw how tall the grass... er, weeds had gotten in the front yard. King was at work and the kids got out of school early.
Hair brain idea enters mind, "I know, I'll surprise him by having the lawn mowed when he gets home."
I ask #2 to help me get the mower started, because he has had recent experience with it. It has been so many years since I mowed a blade of grass that I have nearly forgotten how much work it is.
After discovering that the mower was out of gas, running to the quick shop to get a gallon of overpriced fuel, and trying for another 20 minutes to pull the mower cord, it finally started.
And for 2 hours I mowed the yard. Front and back.
"My stars, I didn't realize how much pollen had settled in those leaves!"
"Wow, the flowers from those weeds sure do kick up a lot of fluff!"
"Man, a stick hurts when it flies from the mower blade and hits your leg!"
"Why does every person who rides by stare at me? How humiliating!"
"I don't like this at all. I am sure glad this is not my chore each week. I will gladly leave this to someone else in the future."
Despite my misery, I was determined to get the whole yard finished. It turned into something a little more than just a "surprise hubby" thing. It morphed into I'm doing something I really hate for someone I really love. Always looking for the deeper meaning in every day experiences, I saw it as a way to relate my own suffering to Christ's.
Disclaimer: I realize that mowing some grass for 2 hours is in no way, shape, or form anything at all like what Christ went through!! But, in a very small way, for a brief moment in time, I possessed a small portion of what it took for Him to go through what He did for us:
willingness,
determination,
selflessness,
but most importantly,
LOVE!