Justin March leads the Bethany Lutheran Church Men’s Ministry and sends a weekly email message to the Men’s group every week. Justin has generously permitted us to post his weekly reflections here.
As I was raking up the leaves, mowing the yard, cleaning the hot tub, and picking up the gifts the dogs leave us, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just leave this pile for somebody else?” Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just relax, leave these chores for another day, and wait and see if somebody else would clean them up?
As these thoughts crossed my mind, and I pondered these questions, it did not take long to understand that the answers are not favorable. If I do not rake up the leaves, they will suffocate the lawn, they will pile up, and they will be harder to pick up with each passing day. If I do not mow the lawn, it will be harder for the water to get to the roots, it will be harder for the sunlight to penetrate, and it will be harder to get through it with each passing day. If I do not clean up the waste the dogs leave us, the yard will start to smell, disease will start to spread, and we will not be able to enjoy the creation God has bestowed upon us. And if I do not clean the hot tub, it will become cloudy, unhealthy, and less usable with each passing day.
If we are honest with ourselves, there are many times we leave the piles of life unattended to. There are times we feel suffocated, there are times our lights are dim, there are times we let the diseases of this world spread, and there are times our souls are cloudy and unhealthy. There are times we do not allow ourselves to enjoy the creation God has bestowed upon us, and there are times our burdens become heavier with each passing day. Instead of cleaning up our piles, we bury ourselves in them, and before we know it, the chore of cleaning them up becomes insurmountable.
What if God would have asked himself these same questions? What if he would have said to himself, “Maybe I could just leave this pile for somebody else?” Maybe I could just relax, leave the chores for another day, and wait and see if somebody else would clean them up? Well, you know what? He did leave our piles for another to clean up. He sent his only son to sacrifice his life so we could be forgiven, saved, and redeemed. He gave us freewill, he allowed us to make our own decisions, and he stepped back when we told him we did not need him. And even during times when we ignore his love, grace, and amazing mercy, he continues to clean up our piles whether we deserve it or not.
Do you have piles you need to clean up this week? Are you willing to do what it takes so they do not become burdensome, spread disease to others, and leave your life unhealthy and cloudy? Are you ready to let Jesus take the reins, help you handle the chores, and unclutter your life from that which makes it unusable? My friends, we can leave our piles for somebody else to clean up, or we can stand up, work hard, and show others we are willing to take on whatever piles this life tries to bury us under. We can share God’s love, we can share God’s peace, and we can share God’s message with everyone around us. And once we begin to follow His path, once we begin to understand His mission, and once we begin to bring others closer to Him, our piles will disappear and His blessings and glory will be bestowed us with each passing day!
