Being Directed

The grass was getting long and so I went out to get it mowed. The yard's too large to mow by hand, so I have a small rider mower. I made one pass around the front yard, then I was part way through the next pass when I noticed the mower wasn’t responding well. I turned the wheel to the left, but the mower kept going straight. Then I noticed the one front tire was turned to the left while the other tire was aiming straight ahead. Not a good combination. When I got off the mower and looked under the tractor, I noticed a metal rod dragging on the ground. I managed to “limp” up to the house to park it. I went to a tractor dealer and got the new part. Then I went about installing it. I had to take off the mower deck to get to the right place. After a struggle to unbolt the metal arm from a tight place, I managed to get the new rod bolted in. It wasn’t till I was going to bolt it to the wheel that I realized I had put it in backwards. I took it off, turned it, and put it on again. As I was connecting it to the wheel, I felt a few rain drops. About the time I finished tightening, the rain started pouring down. I guess the deck will be my project for another day. When I got on the tractor that day, I was confident that I could control the direction. How often we feel confident in what we are doing, so much so that we don’t stop to ask God to lead us. It isn’t until we are headed for trouble that we realize we need help. On the tractor, I had the right part, but I put it in wrong. Again, even when we realize that we failed to ask God to lead and direct us, we don't always ask God, as much as we tell God what we want Him to do. Again, we likely won’t end up where we are meant to be. We want the simple, comfortable solution. Sometimes, when God is calling us to follow Him, we fail to hear because of all the other distractions... schedule, hobbies, desires, etc. Just as I had to remove the mower deck to get to the steering, sometimes we need to remove some things from our own life before we are listening well... love of phones, TV, sports, family schedules, lists, etc. Just as the deck can go back on after the steering is fixed, we can balance activities after hearing God’s voice. O Holy Spirit, give me ears to hear Your word, Your voice, Your people. Then lead me to respond as You desire me to. Amen