Sunday, September 13
10: 10 AM Amazing the weeds that thrive in, say, four square feet of lawn. I survey a patch of what should be grass: dandelions, yellow quack grass, and crab grass. No way- a tiny tree–maple? More crab grass. Clover thriving. Spurge sprawling. I could quarantine in my yard for the next six months and not reduce these lawn intruders. How long will it take for only lawn to remain?
10:20 AM A four-door white Ford pick-up drives slowly down my street and stops a few feet away. Oscar gets out, comes around the truck and says, “Hey, Miss Beth. How you doing? We’re on our way to church.” His wife rolls down the window and waves, then reaches back to un-belt her young son. Freddie, age 3, scrambles to the front seat, mom lets him out the front door and he heads for his dad’s legs.
“Oscar, our lawn needs some help. Do you still work for Garden Gate?”
“Yeah, but you gotta get a specialist with a license to work on these weeds. I mainly do hardscaping.” Oscar nods to our driveway he extended a year ago.
“Oscar, I was thinking about you yesterday. Remember Alex Joseph? He gave the eight of us Bible studies at Joy Spicer’s house in 2014.”
Oscar breaks into a wry smile. “Mr. Alex gave the study in English but at the same time Miss Louvina gave me the study in Spanish — I speak English but when I study the Bible it’s better to have a Spanish Bible and learn in the Spanish language so I’m sure to understand.”
“Mr. Joseph died and his funeral is today.”
Oscar was silent. He looks towards Chester Street. “They live on the corner of the next block don’t they?”
3:30 PM Douglas and I wait in front of the computer for Collins Funeral Home to admit us to the Zoom service. We talk about the help Alex gave Sligo –leading four Homes of Hope groups, each group lasting about a year. Oscar was one of many he led to Christ.
The service starts.
More about Jesus would I know
More of His grace to others show
More of His saving fullness see
More of His love who died for me
We join Elder McFarlane singing the sweet words of the hymn.
My thoughts drift … ‘More of His grace to others show?’ Amazing the weeds that thrive in our hearts if we are not diligent. Only a Specialist can clear them out–with applications of His saving grace, more of His saving fullness to see and more of His love who died for me.
10:00 PM The day ends with a prayer: “Spirit of God, my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me.”
Reflection on the Day: I sigh with the thought that I could have asked Oscar about the last Bible study that I handed him some weeks ago. Today was a missed opportunity to show more of God’s saving grace, more of His love and more concern for Oscar and his little family. Once again the day started with the emphasis on my problems (my poor lawn) and not enough on what God wanted me to say. Steps to Christ, page 72: Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, “Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.”