By
Dana Rausch
/ February 11, 2011
February 11, 2011
The fleeting thought of being the submissive wife sped through my mind. I don’t know what it is about that word that makes my hair stand on end just hearing it. That word and Proverbs 31 both tend to scream in my ear….”You will never achieve that status!” But I wanted to defy those odds and give it another try. Since Don was out of commission and on crutches for a few weeks, I wanted to do something that would please him.
Being the creature of habit that he is, he mows the lawn every week at just the right height and at just the right angle. He has his precise way of getting it done and don’t buck his system! So, I got the idea that I would mow the backyard, so when he looked out the back windows, he wouldn’t be stressed about the lawn. So I put on shorts and a tank top, so I could work on my tan at the same time. My motto is: TAN FAT ALWAYS LOOKS BETTER THAN WHITE FAT. So I could kill two birds with one stone and also get a workout.
Pulling the lawn mower and a trash can to the backyard was no easy task as I had to drag them over the rocks down the side of our house. Since I have not done this task in over 20 years, I had to ask Don how to start this power mower. (Yes, my friends, I have come a LONG way in admitting that I was always wrong when I used to say that I don’t need a man!) As Don sits on his throne (also known as HIS recliner) with his bandaged foot propped up, he bellows out how to start it. He then proceeds to tell me how to mow the grass! Can you imagine? I almost started that thing and brought it in the house, right across the carpet and told him loudly, I KNOW how to mow grass! In the backyard, as I began to chuckle, I think he figured he better just keep his thoughts to himself. He can be very wise sometimes!
The yard is on the large side, so I went back and forth, back and forth and attempted to keep the lines as straight as I possibly could. I was feeling pretty good working on the tan and my arms as I pushed and pulled the mower. I even thought maybe I should appreciate poor Don out here in the heat doing this week after week. Two thirds of the way through, I accidently pushed the handle the opposite way and lo and behold the mower began moving on its own! After this strenuous workout I had been doing, you mean to tell me that the thing moves automatically?
Finishing the last third of the yard, I contemplated how much easier things are when they are automatic. Refrigerators with an automatic ice maker, an automatic transmission in a car, an automatic garage door, an automatic gate are just some of the “automatics” in our lives. I contemplated what I wish was automatic in my life: thinking before speaking, giving grace, being patient with others, loving myself as well as others, being peaceful instead of anxious, not so quick to be defensive. Many wishes…but one thing I know is automatic…….God’s love for me.
God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! Jeremiah 31:3