Keeping short account

If you live in an area where chemicals are banned from being used on your lawn, you will be able to identify with this everyday life example…

I found myself, once again, with a garden tool in one hand while the other pulled weeds. See, where I live we are not permitted to spray chemicals on our lawns to take care of the weeds, so we have to pull them by hand (yup, one of the burdens we carry in a non-chemical zone). Early in the spring season, I was totally into this – I mean, each week I was Rambo to the weed world. My lawn looked incredible! I was taking responsibility of my piece of creation. As the summer went on, I slowly lost interest and let a few weeks go by without doing anything. Before I knew it, the weeds were making gains in taking over my lawn. What took me a few minutes in the early season is now taking way longer. The foothold is ugly!!

One day as I was pulling the blasted weeds, I got thinking about my life when I let things slip a little. Letting them slip by not paying attention to what I allow myself to think about, or even how I respond to situations and those around me. I was even thinking about how I can go for a few days and not make sure my walk with God is all good.

I had this teacher in Bible College named Ken Robins, who would often say, “Keep short accounts with God”. What he meant by that is, don’t allow a long time to go by without dealing with stuff that gets in the way of your relationship with God. Maybe better put: Don’t allow time to go by without dealing with the weeds in your life.

Is there something today that you have been letting slip? Something you have not dealt with in a while? A relationship with someone? Maybe your journey with God has become a little lax? Today, I hope you will deal with the weeds so you can move forward.

For now!

Ron

Chasing Rocks

Every year, our family vacation includes a week at my aunt and uncle’s cottage in the Bobcaygeon area. Our week there involves everything from badminton, horseshoes, reading, dirt biking, swimming and lots of food. I think if we decided not to do this part of the vacation, we would feel like we missed out on creating memories for our family.

The one in our family that loves the cottage the most is our 5-year old black lab, Taya. SHE LOVES THE WATER! Every morning at 7am (it’s like she can tell time), she comes to my side of the bed and nudges me. Now, you need to know that this nudge is not the “I have to go out and do my business” nudge, or maybe the “I want breakfast” nudge. No, this is the “I want to go swimming” nudge. See, our black lab loves for me to throw rocks into the lake for her to swim out to get them. I know she can tell time, but has not yet figured out that rocks sink. I stand with a fresh mug of coffee and a bucket of rocks on the dock and throw rocks for 20 minutes while she swims back and forth trying to find them. Without exaggerating, she can do this for hours – we have to convince her to get out and take breaks.

One morning at 7am I got to thinking about how we chase rocks in life. We chase things that we think are going to fulfill, and then we get there and realize that it was not what we thought. We chase after more money, recognition, popularity, the next best technological gadget, all with the hope that it will fill that emptiness we feel. So many of us swim back and forth chasing rocks. We see the ripple, but by the time we get there, it’s gone.

I guess for me, I wonder if we are created to chase after things, but only after the right thing. One day, Jesus said to some chasers that the greatest command is to seek the kingdom of God above everything else.

Today, maybe you will stop chasing rocks and start seeking God

Until next time!

Ron

Matthew 6:19-21;33