Fallen Leaves

This morning, before my husband left for work, he asked if I could do something for him.  I’ll be honest- this question tends to make me a little nervous, because I honestly never have any idea what he’s going to ask.  But this morning, he asked if I could mow the leaves.

I just looked at him blankly.  I’ve mowed a lot, but I’ve never mowed leaves.  And it’s cold outside.  And I didn’t want to go outside where it’s cold.  But after he explained what needed to be done, I bundled up a bit, and went outside, and I mowed the leaves.

Now, before I go any further, I should probably explain that we don’t have any trees.

Well, for honesty’s sake, we actually have like four baby trees that my husband planted this past summer.  But these trees weren’t the cause of the leaf problem going on in our yard.  The leaves that were covering our yard were from the neighbor’s trees, and the wind blew them our way.

So, I bundled up, I got on the mower, and I started mowing the leaves that weren’t mine that had fallen from the trees that also weren’t mine. 

I was taking care of a problem that I didn’t create.  It was a problem that affected me, but I didn’t cause it.

And I started to think about how much that’s like sin.  So often, as Christians, we don’t think our sin is a big deal.  We seem to be convinced that it’s okay to make bad decisions, because our decisions only affect us.  Can I just take a moment to tell you that if you believe that, then you’re wrong?

Every decision you make has consequences and sometimes these consequences are paid for by those around you.  Your spouse.  Your children.  Maybe even their children…  Your friends.  Your family.  Your neighbors.

But back to the leaves…  as I was starting to shiver because I was so cold, I started thinking about why it’s even necessary to mow the leaves.  The wind is just going to keep blowing them, right?  And eventually they’ll blow out of our yard and into someone else’s, right? 

Then I remembered something that my husband said.  The reason that the leaves needed to be mowed today is because it may snow tomorrow. 

Did you know that fallen leaves can smother grass?  Fallen leaves block sunlight from reaching the blades, and air circulation is limited and grass dies.

Did you know that the weight of leaves can actually prevent grass from growing properly?

Did you know that it is important to take care of the fallen leaves in the winter, before it snows, and not wait until spring?

Sin and the hurt that sin brings is like fallen leaves.  Whether they’re from your own trees, or someone else’s, the fallen leaves still have to be taken care of.  If they are left untaken care of, they will suffocate you.  If they are left untaken care of, they will prevent you from growing properly.  You can’t breathe and you won’t grow.  I feel that truth in the very depths of my soul… Wow.  Ouch.

And did you know that I couldn’t just mow over those leaves once and the problem was taken care of?  No.  I had to mow over them over and over and over again.  And even then, they were never gone.  They were smaller.  They were more scattered and the yard wasn’t just covered  up in them anymore, but there were bits and pieces of the leaves still there.  Still visible.  Still present.  Still present in the yard and still present all over me.  All over my clothes.  All over my boots.  A piece of leaf even blew in my eye.  And it hurt.

The same is true with the hurt caused by sin and selfishness, right?  You can’t just “mow over it” once and expect it to be gone forever.  Real hurt is something that has to be dealt with and dealt with and dealt with.  And even after it is dealt with, it may be smaller, but it’s still present- still present all around you and still present all over you. 

My challenge to you today is to deal with your own fallen leaves. 

The decisions that you make today impact eternity.  And maybe not just your eternity.  Your decisions today might just impact the eternity of someone beside you.