Just Me and My Little Brain

We have had so much rain for the past couple of weeks. That, combined with the Scott’s Step 2 that Randy put on about the same time, has made our lawn grow like crazy. I’m having to mow it almost every other day. As you can see by the picture, no small job! But I can honestly say that mowing the lawn is one job I never get tired of doing! In fact, Randy just about has to pin wrestle me if he wants a turn. We have a great little Husqvarna Tractor, so the job is totally effortless, and there is something very therapeutic about bumping along, your whole body vibrating, warm sun, a little breeze moving through your hair. Nobody bothers you. The phone doesn’t ring. Can’t even hear my cell phone. You do have to put up with grass swirling around your face and dropping down your shirt. I’ll give you that. Best to mow before you shower – not because you’ve worked up a sweat, but that darn grass itches until you get it washed off.

So the hour it takes to mow our lawn is an intimate encounter with my thoughts. It’s a great time to think about ideas for talks and lessons, or maybe just to figure out the best way to explain something. I compose journal entries, and yes, even some of my blogs. Then all I have to do is quickly type it up. It’s also a great time to memorize. A few years ago I set a goal to memorize all the best lectures from the Book of Mormon – you know, Mosiah Chapter 4, Alma 32, Moroni 7, etc. Memorizing is easy for me, but in order to remember it I have to recite it 3 or 4 times a week. By the time I’d memorized a few chapters, the Proclamation on the Family, the Testimony of the 12 Apostles, and a few other things I just couldn’t find the time to recite them regularly. Sadly, many of them are gone now, but I keep memorizing new things and waiting for the resurrection, when, I’m told, all things will be restored. Hallaleujah!

Here’s something I recently memorized that I like. I don't know who said it, but I do know that it was not a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. “I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularlity. I don’t have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear!”