Fiddler on the Roof

Check out my Slide Show!

Yes God!

I grew up in a home with a swimming pool and concrete in the back and a tiny front yard. Therefore, mowing the grass took a total of 15 minutes and if I was in a hurry that included sweeping the sidewalk and drive. Needless to say, I did not enjoy yard work taking any longer than my allotted 15 minutes in the morning. After getting married and moving into our first home, a 900 sq foot house on 1/3 of an acre, mowing soon became a dreaded event, taking the good part of all day. Our second home was not much better having a terraced back yard. It was in this home that I heard God call me to gift my husband with a freshly mowed lawn when he returned home from work. Where I disliked yard work, he disliked it even more growing up on an acre lot he had the responsibility of doing weekly and alone. So marriage gave him the opportunity to have some help.
We had purchased a refurbished mower and it was in good working order, with one exception; there was a trick to starting it, a trick I did not know. After I heard my sweet Lord’s voice to go and mow the yard I argued for a good 15 minutes before I finally acquiesced. Putting on my yard clothes and heading to the garage I tried to get my attitude to one of submission and servant hood. I thought I had done a pretty good job of it until I spent 40 minutes trying to start the mower. Sweating, hot, grumpy and grumbling I was about ready to call a friend to come and start the mower for me. Many times I thought I could just go in the house and Darrell could mow when he returned home, but that would spoil the surprise and I would not be obeying. So, anger got the better of me. I told God if He wanted me to mow the lawn He needed to start the mower so I could do the job. I told Him it was not up to friend to get the mower started but HIM!! Guess what? The next pull it started. I am not advising you get angry at God if it gets hard, but passion brings a smile to His face.
I took a deep breath and started mowing, totally ignoring God, until I reached the terraced back yard. I turned to Him and asked, “God, what was that all about?” His reply to me resounded in my spirit and is a lasting impression in my heart to this day. He said, “Tomi, when I call you to something, it may not always be easy, it may be hard, it may be frustrating but I have called you and when you remain steadfast, passionate and pray I will make a way for you to accomplish what I asked of you.”
When God says, “Be still and know that I am God” then I am to be still and KNOW that He is God until HE tells me to move. “Wait upon the Lord and He will renew your strength,” can seem like an endless season. Yet, it is in the stillness and the waiting that we are renewed, we KNOW who our God is and we are able to walk and not grow weary, run and not faint and mount up on wings of Eagles. Lord, when the stillness is hard, teach me to KNOW You!! When the calling is confronted with obstacles teach me to trust, persevere and pray so that I may KNOW You and Your love for me. Put passion in my heart for You, Your ways and Your direction in my life. I want to live on fire for YOU.