Edging Makes a Big Difference
What makes a picture perfect yard? You know, the one that could be featured on the cover of a home and garden magazine? Is it the beautifully landscaped flower beds or the lush green grass? The lawn is always mowed to the right height; it looks like the outfield at Fenway Park. Maybe the trees and shrubs always seem to be blooming. The beds are mulched, and the front porch has lovely hanging baskets filled with ferns or bright flowers.
What makes the difference between a picture perfect yard and one that might just be so-so? Yes, it could be some of the big things mentioned above, but often times it is just the little finishing touches that make all the difference.
Take for example, edging alongside your driveway or front walk. That ragged edge of grass might be the first thing people see when they pull into your driveway or walk to your front door, diminishing the beauty of everything else that is well manicured. They miss the “big, beautiful stuff” and only see what you might consider “little and insignificant.” Sometimes something as little as edging the lawn makes all the difference between picture perfect and so-so.
Often times it is the same with us. We get all the big things right, but it is the little ones that so often trip us up. You have probably never committed adultery, robbed a bank, murdered someone, or embezzled money. But what about those “little” temptations, the ones that seem to trip us up quite often? Telling the proverbial “white lie” now and then. Talking negatively about someone behind their back. “Borrowing” office supplies from our workplace. Maybe even fudge a number or two on our tax return, nothing major, but nonetheless, not completely truthful.
Before I go any further, let me say that while some sins have bigger consequences than others, God does not look at sin as being either big or little. God looks at sin and hates every single one of them, regardless of the name or size we give to it. Our relationship with God and with those around us is always damaged by the sins we commit. And while it is true that sin is totally against the nature of God and separates us from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2), it is also true that if we ask God to forgive us of our sins, He is faithful in doing so (1 John 1:9).
We are all susceptible to being seduced by Satan, and he loves to trip us up in the little things. In 1 Corinthians 10:12 we read these words, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” Here are very encouraging words in the very next verse, providing us hope that with God’s help (and accountability to others), we can ward off the sly enemy … “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Because of our inherent sin nature, we need the power of God to help us clean up our ragged edges. It requires constant asking. King David, after what might have been his lowest moment, committing adultery with Bathsheba then conspiring to kill her husband Uriah in a cover up scheme, prayed this – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast [right] spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
So, today, why not ask the Holy Spirit, your personal change agent, to help you do some edging in your life. The little things make a big difference!
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