Mow the Grass Before It Gets Too High

Growing up, it did not rain much in our small, dusty town out in West Texas. Most of the time, everything was dry and dead… However, once or twice a year, we would get a massive storm that dumped rain on the parched land. This rain caused everything to grow EXTREMELY fast. What once was desolate would become green and lush (at least for a week or two). After these rains, my dad would tell us boys, “You better mow the grass before it gets too high.” It was at this point that we had two choices. We could take my dad’s advice and get the work done immediately. Or, neglecting his advice, we could deal with the grass later, at a time we thought would be more “convenient.” This was one of those lessons we learned the hard way. No matter how great our gas push mower was, if we let the grass grow too tall and thick, it would not cut well on the first pass. So, because we waited too long, we created double, sometimes triple the amount of work for ourselves. A yard that should have only required one pass with the mower now needed two or three, all because we waited to deal with the work. What’s the lesson here? Do not wait to deal with a problem. Whether it is sin or something of this world weighing us down (Hebrews 12:1), we should not wait until our issues are out of control to start handling them. Cut the grass immediately, deal with sin and temptation right away. If you’re struggling with sexual temptation or sin, flee now, do not let the grass get too high (Genesis 39:11,12; 2 Samuel 11). If your screen time takes priority over your time with God, fix it now; do not let the grass get too high (Ephesians 5:15,16). If your marriage is struggling because love, respect, and understanding are lacking, address these areas now; do not let the grass get too high (Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7). Yes, it is hard work to address areas in our lives where we are struggling spiritually, but we must ask ourselves: “Do we want to cut the grass once, or do we want the extra work of having to make multiple passes?” Dealing with sin and problems can be very difficult, but if we do not handle them immediately, we are only making it harder on ourselves. So, as problems come our way, let’s mow the grass before it gets too high.