Rechopping

Awhile ago we had lots of rain move through our area and our yard was looking great—when we could keep it mowed. The rain spaced itself so we had a hard time getting out to cut it before it grew too tall, and that resulted in lots of cut grass laying in rows across our yard. We didn't notice it too much the day the grass was cut, when it was still green, but the next day it was quite obvious. The cut, dead grass had turned brown and it was ugly. Not only that, but it was heavy enough that it would have hindered the growth of the grass it was on. So my wonderful husband rechopped the cut grass, cutting it finer and spreading it more so it would act as mulch and not be too heavy for the grass beneath it and kill it.

...and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ~John 15:2b

I think God does that in our lives at times. After a time of growth, He goes through and does some mowing. The mowing might not feel so good as we go through it, but we look better for it. Then, when it's done, we breathe a sigh of relief and think 'phew! That's done for awhile.' We forget that the first mow after a period of heavy growth leaves swaths of dead, brown clippings. If they're allowed to stay as they are, they'll begin to do damage. Instead of acting as mulch and encouraging more growth, they'll act as a hindrance and stifle growth. So God rechops them. He cuts the clippings up finer and spreads them so they can help keep moisture in the soil of our hearts and help us grow more. His rechopping removes the ugly brown streaks of dead grass and turns it into something good and beneficial for us.

Growth is good. Sometimes that growth is mowed and used as mulch to encourage even more growth and to keep us from looking overgrown and ratty. We need to let God mow in our lives, and when He comes and rechops, be thankful and look forward to the results. More growth and beauty, too.
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Yesterday I posted on Adding Zest about Blue-footed Boobies and what they teach us about marriage. If a clumsy little bird like a Booby can do this, I betcha we can too. ;-)