How exciting! Less than a year ago, I  purchased an older home which needed “much love.” It was in ill repair and outdated, but one of the greatest “eye sores” was the lack of a yard. There were less than a half dozen shrubs on the entire half acre lot. There were no flowers, but the greatest obstacle was the barren earth. When the rains poured, the mud slides began; onto the driveway, sidewalks and patio.

Spring was arriving and my love of flowers brought a necessity to locate a landscaper to assist me in making the “dirt” a beauty. After research and prayers, God brought me a landscaper that turned the outdoors into a haven.  As I recently awakened  to the blooming flowers, exquisite shrubs and the deep green, lush lawn, “gifts” awaited me. Mounds of dirt dotted my pristine lawn.

As my neighbor and I briefly chatted about our lawn destruction,  I noted that I had left beautiful wildlife of deer and wild turkey at my home in another state. Jokingly, I shared with him,  I still had wildlife, but they were not ones I desired to photograph.

Frustrated, but not angry, I knew the “crazy critters”, moles, gophers and/or voles were doing their jobs. They were turning and aerating the soil. My new oasis of lawn was also a sanctuary for them. Now the battle was “on.” Which one would win?

 I thought of us, God’s children. He gives us lush green lawns; magnificent lives. To those that know us  we appear lovely. Yet, what is going on inside? What are our thoughts, feelings, emotions? Which one will win? Will it be the power of God to overcome negativity in our lives or Satan’s enticing temptations which allow us to leave “mounds of dirt” on other’s green lawns?

Are we doing the job God has planned for us or are we “tunneling beneath”, causing messes along the way? The more manicured the lawn the more prevalent the “mounds.” I decided I would be the victor in the battle of the “mounds.” God can and will also be our victor when we allow Him to help us with the messes we make of our lives.

Each of us makes messes for we are imperfect. We are all sinful creations. If you research well known pastors and bible scholars you will realize they too have had some difficult times in their lives, but God lifted them up and cleaned up the “mounds.”

Rick Warren notes of the messes in our lives, “ you may have really made a mess of your life. Your “pot” is scarred from poor decisions that you made and things that were done to you. As a result your life has not turned out as you intended…God is the potter, and He doesn’t discard clay that’s been misshapen by circumstances…He doesn’t throw out the personality and the essence of who He created you to be…applying pressure at just the right places to mold you and remake you into a beautiful, priceless piece of art.”

 The lush green lawn will be free of “mounds” once again.  Isaiah 64:8 ESV “But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”