L is for LAWNMOWER

I have a 'love-hate' relationship with my lawnmower. At the moment we're in love. The fact that it is only four months old has probably something to do with it, but there are many other positives. It always starts first time, has a cut width of 22 inches (that's nearly 56 centimetres to post-imperial kids), is easy on petrol, lifts grass when it is slightly damp, is not too heavy and its engine does not possess the decibel level of a pneumatic drill. I have tried to impress its qualities to my sons in the vain hope that they might like to enjoy them for themselves but to date they seem content to take my word for it and watch from afar.

It is the latest in a long line of lawnmowers that have passed my way. The original had no engine and never broke down, except when dad, my sister or I wilted, but it was sufficient for the job, though hard and lengthy work. As the lawn at home increased in size to include some of the rough grass around the house, fewer family members were volunteering for the job and the little cylinder mower was replaced by the fashionable Suffolk Punch, complete with powerful four stroke petrol engine and grassbox. It had a cutting cylinder in front of a large roller , which left delightful designs on the lawn and I vaguely recall having to engage a rotating flywheel to make it move forwards.However, its cut was narrow and the box held only a small amount of grass and it was less easy to manoeuvre around shrubs and flowerbeds. Still, it did the job perfectly well until its performance became less predictable and the lawns continued to grow in area. The Flymo, which replaced it, had two big advantages. It had a wider cut and had little difficulty reaching the parts that other mowers can't reach. So, for years, my flat friend and I hovered around the garden, up and down steep banks and across rough terrain, turning anything that resembled grass or weeds into lawn. It had no drive but was not hard to persuade and could be pulled or pushed with equal ease, its rotary blade doing all the hard work. Yet the grass lay where it had been cut and, if not raked and collected, left the garden more unsightly than before.

Progress, old age and the desire for a better looking lawn, brought two further mowers into the garden. The first, bright orange and flashy, lasting only a couple of years before I realised that appearances can be deceptive and the second, a bright blue Yamaha that worked harder than it was meant to and only recently has retired from active duty after over a decade of service. I know almost every cog, nut and bolt in its frame, every sound that makes me suspicious of its state of health and although, more than any other, it has caused my 'love-hate' relationship, it has been invaluable over the years.

Over the years, spending time with other Christians, especially those longer in the faith, has also been of lasting benefit in my spiritual growth.We are all different but, like my various lawnmowers did, each has a part to play at a particular time and often God has sent the right helper and the right word just when I needed it most. And spending time with God is the only way I can know more about Him and recognise when He speaks to me. So I am forever encouraged by Paul who wrote, ' I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.'

Initially my new lawnmower seemed much slower than its predecessor but after two hours of mowing, because of its wider cut, it takes me no longer than before and I realise that it is just right. Often in my impatience to see His will, I have forgotten that His work in me is ongoing and His timing is always perfect.