Lessons from Mowing the Lawn

Last summer, I was mowing my lawn with my two children. Eventually they wandered over to me. My three-year-old daughter started walking by me, step by step, up and down the lawn. As she did this I was thinking how this is like Christ, he walks beside us as we do the work. Upon further reflection I realized, no, the roles are reversed. Christ is the one pushing the lawn mower. He is the one doing the heavy lifting, I am the one walking beside, hoping that I can help, wanting to do my part.

At one point, my older son came over and wanted to try pushing the lawn mower. So I let him “help” me. You know, you are actually doing it while they just pretend to do it. When his hands grabbed the handle along with mine, his weight pushed the back of the mower down, and the front of the lawn rose. To keep cutting the grass, I had to not only push forward, but also had to push up, creating more work for me. But, as he was assisting me, he felt big, he felt important; he could see himself doing this one day all by himself.

I think this is what Christ does for us, he allows us to help him in his work. As we try our best, however imperfectly, I’m sure he is like a parent - wondering how much easier his work would be if He was down here doing it himself. However, Christ knows that the only way we will become the people we are meant to be is by doing the work ourselves. He inspires us through the Holy Ghost to go and serve someone else, to say an encouraging word, to share an epiphany we had with a friend. It makes us feel important, feel like we are doing the good, but the good is only coming through us. We are only the conduit of his love.

Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, shared this message of service. He stated, “The Savior taught His disciples, ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.’

I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives… We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”

He also shared this verse:

I have wept in the night

For the shortness of sight

That to somebody’s need made me blind;

But I never have yet

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind

When we apply the idea that we are living to serve God in our lives, we have the opportunity to turn from entitlement to humility, from selfishness to sacrifice, from pride to encouragement. We would see others before we worried about ourselves, and think about Christ a little more often than we do.

Just like when my kids tried to emulate and help me with the lawn, I think God is happy with my efforts. No matter how imperfect, each attempt to love and forgive as He would brings me a step closer to my ultimate and divine potential. God loves us with a love incomprehensible and Christ suffered for us, personally. He has already trodden the path for us and will walk beside us helping us understand what we need to do and how to do it. He is just waiting for us to notice him and to turn to him. What we say and do can impact others, but ultimately we need to remember the love and light we share is not from us, but only through us; it ultimately comes from God.

Alicia Anderson lives in Palmer with her 3 children. She loves to go on adventures outdoors but also loves staying inside, curled up with a classic book. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.