Check Your Backyard

The weather has warmed up!

Feel free to read that sentence with whatever emotion it stirs in you. For some (like my oldest daughter) it is a relief and blessing to have warmer temperatures. For me, the warmer temperatures are great, but the fact that it is also raining is problematic.

The combo of warmth and rain helps mitigate the piles of snow and the ice issues (who hasn’t has an ice rink on their driveway recently?), but at our house it also brings new issues.

We have two dogs, and rain equals a muddy back yard, which in turn means dirty floors that need mopping more often than I like. I have thought about trying to make them wear booties, but then those need cleaned, and I think I’d rather deal with the floors.

Anyway, they’ve been happily “doing their business” at various locations around the backyard like they always do. That’s fine, not a problem. I love it when dogs “do their business” outside.

When the previously squishy grass is covered with a layer of pristine, crusted over snow during winter, it’s great. Our dogs didn’t like to crunch through new snow too much, especially lately, because it is too deep for them. So their “business” was kept pretty close to the edge of the deck.

Before all the snow came, however, they went wherever they wanted. And you can judge us for not going out with them every time and picking up their poop. Go ahead- judge all you want. We left it because it was still cold enough outside for their “business” to get frozen and was therefore easier to pick up. (Work smarter, not harder, people.) Needless to say, their previous “business” offerings got covered in all the snow before we actually went and cleaned it up.

Now that things are melting, their previous preferred locations for doing their “business” are being revealed. This means that not only will the back yard become a mud pit, but there are also little surprises sprinkled throughout that show where they’ve been.

Isn’t it the same with us spiritually?

Before knowing Jesus, we go around “doing our business” wherever we want. We dot the landscape with bad choices, bad behavior, selfishness, anger, etc. There is no limit to what we can do to stink up our lives. Honestly, even after we’ve know Jesus awhile we can still do things that are pretty rotten at times.

And we may put on a cold, icy nature, thinking we look pristine. For the Christian it’s called self-righteousness. Maybe you’ve heard of it.

But underneath that cold, icy surface, there’s basically a minefield of stink that needs cleaned up. Those areas that need help can’t be revealed until we allow ourselves to thaw and melt a little bit, and are willing to actually see our spiritual “backyard” for what it is.

If you’ve been trying to grow in the Lord, but don’t know why you’re struggling, maybe take a look at your backyard and see what shape it’s in. It could be you’ve kept up a pristine exterior that was hiding some “business” underneath the surface.

Ask a friend to help you, ask your family what they see in your backyard, and ask the Lord to help you thaw so you can clean up the “business” and actually have a nice backyard instead of the illusion of one.

James 1:22-26
(22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: (24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (26) If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

1 John 1:4-8
(4) And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
(5) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
(6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
[8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Luke 18:9-14
(9) And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: (10) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. (11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. (12) I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (13) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. (14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

1 Corinthians 10:4-12
(4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (5) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (6) Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. (7) Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. (9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.