Deep thoughts in deep grass

Well, I finally was able to cut my grass last night. A combination of rainy days and busy schedule delayed me for about 10 days. Now if it had been as dry as it had been in June that would not really have been a problem. But with all the rain we've had (even though a lot of it just washed off due to quantity) it was pretty thick and deep. The new mower is working out pretty good. It cuts nice and the grass catcher on the back empties so much easier than my last one. Still, the self propelled mode is almost too slow! When I am in the "zone" (lol @ myself here) I want to move at a pretty brisk pace - which is not as easy with this mower because it weighs noticably more than the last one. But I still found myself wanting to move faster than the motor was so I was wasting energy. That's ok though. As I got used to it I just let the little guy pull me along. :) While I was mowing the lawn I had some really good 'deep' thoughts about God... but being all hot and sweaty I didn't have a pen handy, and of course I forgot them before I got back in the house (I give thanks everytime I come in and feel the cool air of air conditioning). Two things I can sort of remember... One was that it did not take me long to start sinking after "getting out of the boat" with this whole business venture. All it really took was for my beloved to tell me, "I sure hope you know what you're doing". She was trying to convey trust (in her own little way) in me, but it actually had the opposite affect. She quickly drifted off to sleep after that but I lay awake for at least an hour after that. Different scenarios running through my mind, not to mention the constant mulling over the things that I do not really know. It really feels like I k now just enough to get the ball rolling, but not near enough to know all the questions I need to ask. I also had to sign contracts and apply for loans - all without not one client, and no immediate sign of producing income to pay such loans. God has been very merciful and I have felt His peace. Without ay sort of introduction the Holy Spirit put the image of Peter beginning to sink in the midst of the storm - all the while holding his Savior's hand. That was all I needed. I immediately asked for forgiveness for my lack of faith in what I truly believe He is leading me through. I felt Him saying that He is my source - and that even though I do not know everything (who really does) that He would reveal and teach me as He led me through this. The second thing I meditated on was the brevity of our time on this earth. Our perspective is decidedly finite. 80 or so years seems like a long time... and the younger we are the longer is seems. :) But when we put everything in light of eternity, what is it really? The 'discomforts' (and we here in America really do not know the full meaning of that word IMO) we experience are trully temporary. I think people like Joni Eareckson Tada - and she is experiencing difficulties - how amazing is their faith. And yet her turmoil is but a blink of an eye in light of God and what she will experience in Heaven. The Bible tells us - there is no more suffering, no more tears. What a joy it will be when she walks into His arms. What about the things we work for here. The trinkets we receive through out life. I've spoken about the military coins I've received over the years. What about the house I am priviledged to live in. Let's not even think about the infite term of eternity. What about the next 100 years or so? I've heard some stories of my relatives - of one who was a civil war soldier who ate his boots on his way home (a walk of Richmond, VA to Washington DC) because he had no food or money. The house he built for his family no longer stands. The coins I currently have will most likely be at the bottom of some drawer at best, or at 'worst' in some landfill somewhere. The same for my home or car. And what about death? As I think about reaching another milestone again this year, and going to my wife's class reunion - there are those who will not be there because they have passed away. That is one thing no one can escape. I know there is a tinge of fear in my heart of the finality of it. And yet it is unavoidable. but oh the promises of beyond that event... Well, I have rambled on long enough for today. May the Lord bless each of you this wonderful day. :) Verse for today: Proverbs 12:1-4, esv Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns. No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. I highly encourage reading the entire chapter today. :)