As if it’s not enough that I have a witchy tree in my front lawn (see May 14 blog), the lawn itself seems to be withering away, too. Just take a look at the spotty situation. Can you say receeding grass line?
A brief bit of background: I noticed a few problem areas last year, and thought some soil work and re-seeding this spring would help. No such luck. In fact, the issues spread and worsened, and I’ve now got serious gaps in multiple places. Frankly, in those places, the grass isn’t just thinning; it’s gone. It appears my lawn’s roots are following in the footsteps of my hair follicles. That’s right — my yard is balding. Losing its hair. Withering.
It was in the smack-dab middle of this foliage frustration — I was mowing the other day and helplessly wondering what I could do to get grass to grow — that God jarred me out of my small mindedness and set my mind on a larger, more gratifying principle — “The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God will stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8). No doubt I saw this verse in a way I had never seen it before: Grass comes and goes, but God’s Word is guaranteed.
Yep, forever. Not a few years, decades, or even centuries. Forever. Eternally.
What that means is that the disappointment I was feeling over the lawn, well, I’ll never experience it regarding Scripture. Never. Not once. Why? Because God’s Word, unlike the grass in my front yard, doesn’t thin over time. The Bible doesn’t “go bald.” God’s promises don’t — and won’t — fade or wither.
Instead, they last. Year after year, season after season, they’re true. Solid. Sturdy. Strong. Every one of God’s promises are still firmly settled and in tact.
Which means, no matter how the wind blows or sun shines, how the rain falls or doesn’t fall, God will keep his word. God’s word will never wither due to weather. It stands the tests of time and trials of life, always proving to be accurate. Correct. Right. Perfect.
How thankful I am for such impeccable reliability. That what God says, he does. Without fail. Completely. Whether it’s saving my soul, changing my character, or meeting my needs, God always comes through. Always.
That’s more than I can say for my lawn. Way more. But instead of experiencing frustration each time I mow the “yart” (that’s yard and dirt rolled into one beautiful word) by complaining about what I don’t have (i.e., grass), I’ll instead express gratitude for what I do have — an eternally faithful promise keeper, God, whose word won’t wither. Ever.
Like Peter said, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25).