Grass Mowing Goats

...I hate mowing my grass...

I hate mowing grass. Let me rephrase; I hate mowing my grass. A good part of our yard is low, so water collects from our yard and from our neighbors' yard. This means it takes twice as long for it to be dry enough for me to not leave holes and ruts when I mow. All the excess water feeds gigantic clumps of crab grass, not to mention a variety of weeds, that grow twice as fast as the centipede grass that is in the rest of  the yard. On top of that, if my grass gets too tall, I run the risk of receiving a fine from the city. So, if it rains on a consistent basis, I find myself in ankle deep marsh sludge using my weed eater to knock the tops off the mutant grass and weeds that infest my yard. There are many days that I have wished I owned some goats to make the whole thing easier.

...I wished for goats to do it for me...

Once, I actually posted my desire for goats on Facebook. I was offered a fair bit of advice about my mowing options; (theatrical pause here) but they all involved work, so i wasn't interested. I know I sound extremely lazy, but at the time it wasn't just about the yard mowing. Beth and Liam were gone for his transplant which meant I had to cook supper, do laundry, and help with homework too. If I were to mow, I would have to keep the kids outside with me so they wouldn't burn the house down. Having them outside meant I would get to enjoy a steady stream of interruptions consisting of how hot they were sitting in the shade and how bored they were with riding bikes or jumping on the trampoline. As I checked the weather for the next few days, I discovered that if I didn't cut the jungle back it would be at least a week before it was dry enough to mow again. So I wished for goats to do it for me. 

Before you get carried away judging me, remember that Jesus wished for goats too. Don't believe me? Grab your bible, check out John 12:27-28, and see what Jesus says to the disciples only a few days before His crucifixion. Or read what Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42 while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane mere hours before the abuse started. In John, Jesus admits that His soul was troubled. In Luke he spends his final few moments praying for another way. Jesus, in His humanness, didn't want to die on the cross. Thankfully, the divine part of Him loved us enough to go to the cross anyway.

Funny thing though, Jesus already had some goats to "fix" his problem. Actually, he had goats, sheep, bulls, doves, and even sacks of flour. Thousands of years earlier, as recorded in the book of Leviticus, God had set up the sacrificial system as a way for the Israelites to confess their sins and seek forgiveness. From the day Moses came down the mountain and gave the laws to the nation of Israel, a bunch of goats were enough. At least that's what the Israelites thought. Have you ever seen a goat pen? The grass is short, yes, but it's not pretty because the goats don't have the presence of mind to eat it evenly. There are also big patches of bare dirt because the goats will eat the grass right down to the root. Then you have the regular, everyday smell of goat mixing with the wonderful scent of it's poop. Having goats may mean I don't have to mow my yard, but it doesn't make my yard any nicer. In fact, it makes it a whole lot worse. The same holds true for the sacrificial system. Sacrificing animals didn't actually fix the problem. It just served as a reminder of what the cost of sin really is...death. Every bull killed, every sheep butchered, every goat burned, and every dove broken was simply a foreshadowing of what Jesus would have to do. It was an exercise in faith; that God would provide a redeemer.

...a foreshadowing of what Jesus would have to do...

I'm glad Jesus' struggles were recorded in the Bible. If we were to write an autobiography, we would probably jump at the chance to hedge a little bit on the details. But God didn't do that. He openly shared His struggles, so we would know the depth of His love for us. It helps me to know that the God I worship understands what I'm going through. It also helps to have Jesus' example of what to do when there is something I don't want to do. Luke 22 says we should let the Father's will be done so that, according to John 12, His name will be glorified. So let your struggles be the best thing they can be, a time for obedience and an opportunity to glorify the Father. Don't give in to the temptation of letting a goat serve in your place. And yes, I mowed my yard...well...most of it.