Life from Here to There

Everywhere life takes us

Daily Devotions and Birds

I love to cut the grass. Ask my wife, she’ll be the first to tell you that’s a true story. I’ve even previously written about cutting grass. When Alyson was looking for a lawn company for our house, that was the one non-negotiable for me, the company was not allowed to cut the grass. Now let me be honest, it is not that I take some great pride in my lawn cutting skills or that there is no one better. I love to cut the grass because it is my thinking time. I pop in the earbuds, throw on some tunes, and mow. Which brings me to the start of this post.


I was mowing the lawn the other day and the grass was not particularly dry, but it wasn’t soaking wet either. For those of you who have cut wet grass before you know how much of a pain it can be to do. So I was happy it wasn’t super wet, but it still takes longer to cut when it’s not completely dry. The mower has a tendency to slide on a slope and the blade has to make multiple passes on the same blades of grass because it doesn’t always cut it the first time around. Not to mention that by the time I’m finished my pants legs are soaked up to the knee. Oh and don’t even get me started on bagging wet grass. What a nightmare that is!

There is something that loves fresh-cut, wet grass more that I do … birds. Have you ever noticed that your yard can be completely devoid of birds and after it’s been cut the yard is full of birds? It’s crazy. It’s as if they know.

If you have never observed this? Be on the lookout from now on. It’s fascinating. Cutting the grass seems to break down all the barriers for birds to enjoy the lawn. But why? To what end do birds flock to a freshly cut lawn? Simple. Bugs.

Pesky bugs

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Bugs love to hide in cool, dark places. Lift any stone in the shade or rotted log and you prove my point. When I cut grass I feel like I’m Nick’s friend from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where he uses the remote-controlled lawnmower to cut grass and the kids almost get sucked into the blade. As I’m cutting, bugs are scurrying left and right trying to avoid a bitter end. I know some of you may be thinking, “Wow, not cool. Those poor bugs, that’s so sad.” While I cannot assure you that every bug escapes the blade of destiny, I do not intentionally run them over. As a matter of fact, I will pause cutting to let them jump aside, then I move on.

When the grass is tall bugs can hide. When the bugs are concealed the birds have a difficult time seeing them. The birds aid in bug population control. If they cannot see them bugs will become too plentiful which, if left unchecked, could become a real problem for maintaining a healthy lawn. An unhealthy lawn will not only get you in trouble with your HOA, but it can also lead to lawn disease and molds that are in turn harmful to people and pets.

By cutting the grass shorter bugs become exposed. Exposed bugs get eaten by hungry birds. Eaten bugs keep a healthy lawn from being overrun. A healthy lawn keeps the HOA off your back and kids and pets outside where they belong … err, I mean … where they can have fun 🙂

Our life is full of things (bugs if you will) that plague our bodies. They love cool, dark places such as our thoughts, hearts, or spirits. Left unchecked these bugs will lead to problems in physical and mental health, relationships, and spiritual life. It is quite easy to get lost in life and let it get overgrown. Keeping our lives bug free is an everyday war we must wage. When it rains we can quickly lose sight making it difficult to see the bugs. Therefore, friends, I urge you to cut grass daily lest you become overrun with bugs.

How do I maintain cutting grass everyday?

Great question. The answer is simple, the practice, however, is challenging but so worth it. Take part in daily devotions or daily walks with your Creator. When you participate in a daily devotion you are effectively trimming your life so you can be invaded by the Holy Spirit. Thus fueling the Holy Spirit’s ability to do a job, remove bugs. When you do not maintain a healthy walk, you are preventing the Holy Spirit from eradicating bugs from your life. Daily devotions aid in keeping your life focused on God.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 16:13

Do you engage in a daily devotion?

If so, great. Keep it up. If not, I would encourage and challenge you to start today. I can feel it in my soul when I have missed mine. My spirit craves engagement and it is my responsibility to feed it with Godly wisdom. I am not perfect with my daily devotion. Some days are easy, some days are hard. Some days I miss and I know deep inside that I am missing out on the best that Christ has to offer for my life. So again, I encourage you to pick up a daily devotion.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Romans 8:26

There is some controversy over how long, when, and where you should do a daily devotion. Ultimately, those are your decisions to make. Some people prefer, literally, the first thing in the morning, while others prefer after lunch or even at night before bed. For some, an hour minimum is the only acceptable length of time, however, for others, any longer than 10 minutes is an accomplishment. I’m a fan of sitting in my car, but I have friends who have prayer rooms for their devotion location of choice. The point is, don’t make it about the length of time, time of day, or even the place. Find what works best for you. Then, give everything you have and fully commit to time with your Lord and only true Savior. Stay consistent. If over time your commitment begins to fade, change it up and try something new to rekindle the desire.

A daily devotion exposes the bugs. Exposed bugs get consumed by the Holy Spirit. Consumed bugs keep a healthy life from being overrun. A healthy life keeps God front and center and affects all facets of life from your heart, to your mind, and your spirit.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Do you have a daily devotion you would like to share? Or how about a tip to maintain engagement everyday to a daily devotion? Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear it.

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