So Beautiful #2

I am not a lawn nazi. I do not spend hours in my lawn seeding, feeding, or de-weeding. It does not matter to me if my lawn is covered with clover or wish flowers or leaves. This spring, thanks to the crazy rains and mild weather, my lawn has been growing like…well…

On average, I’ve been mowing my lawn two times each week just to try and keep it somewhat under control. Any less and I’d run the risk of losing a kid or a dog in the “beauty” of nature.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was mowing, one of my neighbors asked me if I could help him maintain his lawn. His work schedule is crazy during the summer, and he honestly doesn’t have time to mow for a couple of weeks. The first time I mowed his lawn, my mower finally died. I knew it was coming. It’s been having troubles since the beginning of the year. I couldn’t get in touch with him, so I went to another neighbor’s house and asked if I could borrow his lawn mower. And the mowing saga started.

All in all, in the past few weeks, I’ve used four different lawnmowers, mowing two lawns twice a week. My allergies have reached new highs. My farmer’s tan is back in full swing. And I’ve made four new friends and still haven’t had to invest in a new mower.

And that’s what the second part of Len Sweet’s So Beautiful is about. Living in relationship with God and others. Here are a couple of quotes that are, well, beautiful.

“What I believe is absolutely unimportant. The only thing that matters is whom I belong to.”

“Well-being has everything to do with the quality of relationships.”

“Love is what makes life a success.”

“The point of Christianity is not a point but a person.”

We follow Jesus together. We don’t live by propositions or proofs, but in the messy dynamics of relationships. We have been sent to live this missional life wherever we go making new friends along the way.

I was talking with one of my friends recently, and he said he could go weeks without ever meeting someone new. It honestly broke my heart.

It is imperative that we constantly be looking for new friends on the journey, for the voice of God and the hands of Christ are most often revealed through others.