Our lawnmower broke…again.
My husband, a jack-of-all-trades, usually fixes it, but the Covid pandemic had slowed shipping. The parts wouldn’t arrive for two weeks. One of our neighbors, who belonged to a trio of men I’ve dubbed The Lawnmower Brigade, voluntarily mowed our embarrassingly high grass.
This was not the first time the brigade had come to our rescue. When we moved here, the yard was in desperate need of shearing. Drained from unloading all our stuff, we didn’t look forward to mowing. After we came home from returning the moving truck, our yard had been mowed.
Since then, we've kept an eye out for our neighbors’ occasional escaped animals and corralled strays back into the pasture. We even delivered the good news of an unexpected calf's birth to our neighbors and their thrilled granddaughter.
Food is shared. When there is extra, we give it away. We've often come home to a bag of garden veggies hanging from our doorknob. We take each other meals when someone is sick or has surgery.
The neighbor who mowed our yard this time stays super busy with his job and farm. I told him not to worry about it. We’d have the mower fixed soon. His reply? “Don't steal my blessing.”
How does one argue with that?
Too often, we have an I-can-do-this-all-on-my-own attitude. I was once like that. But life is much better when we openly give and receive in community. It produces a beautiful synergy of shared gifts and expressed gratitude, which perpetuates a life of blessings.
We are all important members of the community in which God has placed us, whether our family, church, neighborhood, online community, or any other community. We're all in this thing called life together. God wants us to share our unique gifts and skills to enhance the lives of each other. We, though many, form one body.
If someone has performed an act of kindness that significantly impacted your life, tell them you’re grateful. Then, think of a small act of kindness you can do for someone. Don't underestimate your contribution. What comes easy to you may be a godsend for someone else.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Laura Greer is in joyful recovery from juggling too much on the balance beam of life. In her struggle to achieve the myth of worldly balance, God led her on a journey from brokenness to healing. Laura’s passion is encouraging women to live in His abundance as they discover wellness, contentment, joy, and confidence in how they are uniquely created. She is a member of the Christian Writers Fellowship of Western North Carolina, Mom2Mom leader, life coach, speaker, and blogger at www.MomEncouragement.com. Connect with her at MomEncouragementBlog@gmail.com.