"Those Pesky Bare Spots!"

I love lawn care!  I love mowing, edging, and watering.  I can go to the Lawn & Garden section of Home Depot and get lost in a transcendent world of pH balances, seed, sod, sprinklers, fertilizers, and water hoses.  I love even more the looks of a lawn that has just been thoroughly treated with a heavy dose of weed & feed or some other good fertilizer and then soaked through with water until the moist ground gives a bit under foot.  Then, I love being able to slip off my shoes, walk bare foot through the grass and feel the cool lush, green that is healthy grass between my toes without the fear of being surprised by the prick of a hidden grass burr, or the sting of a *you-know-what* fire ant!!!  I love lawn care.

However...

Each place I have lived and attempted to maintain a healthy lawn, there is always (at least) one bare spot that I simply cannot get grass to grow.  From the street, the lawn looks full and green, but upon closer inspection you find a series of patches at various locations that just will not grow grass.  No matter how much water, seed, or fertilizer....grass refuses to grow!  I was mowing our lawn over the weekend, and noticed several of these spots.  Of course, it's early in the season still, and grass is just beginning to come through, but I get so frustrated every time I run the mower of these areas and I'm faced with a blast of dirt and debris rather than the mower blowing out grass clippings.  I hate it!  As I was recovering from inhaling copious amounts of said dirt and debris I was reminded of the words from our Savior that we discussed in Worship yesterday:

"But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matt. 6:33 (NIV)

GUYS, STAY WITH ME HERE, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT IF YOU SEEK HIS KINGDOM HE WILL GIVE YOU A LUSH BEAUTIFUL LAWN!!! I KNOW IT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT I'M NOT SURE IT WORKS THAT WAY!!!

God revealed to me some parallels of our walk with Him and my lawn.  Those bare spots are frustrating, but not enough for me to completely dismiss the whole thing.  The lawn overall is healthy and growing, but those pesky bare spots just need a little more attention for them to flourish and thus allowing the lawn to develop into it's fullest potential.  We are the same way.  We have strengths, those things that come naturally and easy for us...but we also have weaknesses, or "bare spots."  There are areas in our lives that simply need a bit more work and attention for us to grow and flourish into all that God desires us to be.  Maybe it's patience, or empathy toward others, or maybe it's that you have too much of something like pride or arrogance.  Whatever it is that is your "pesky bare spot," Jesus tells us:

"But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matt. 6:33 (NIV)

Seek God and His Kingdom first and foremost in your life, and these bare spots will fill in. 

May the Word of Christ dwell in you richly...

Corey