We cut hay this week. It was some nice, thick hay too. Lots of rain has generated more grass in the pastures than the herd can even eat. Such a blessing!
But now we wait. We wait and pray for no rain while the thick hay dries out before getting baled for the winter. We wait and pray because wet hay rots; and the time, energy, fuel, and replacement cost combine to put a high value on the newly-mown hay and future bales. We wait and pray because, for now, there is nothing else we can do. The weather is completely out of our control.
Being at the mercy of the weather brings our lack of control front and center. We are helpless in ourselves. While less obvious most days, this helplessness is no less true of any of our other efforts. Our plans and our schedules, while our responsibility, are not written in stone and not entirely up to us. We plan, but God determines how the day actually goes. Stuff happens. Plans change. Fatigue comes.
This could be discouraging, but today let’s dwell on the truth that our weather and our times and our days (and our hayfields) are at the mercy of an infinitely merciful God. If we need mercy, He is by far the best One to turn to! How much mercy has He already shown? He delights in showing yet more. As our salvation, so our days depend “not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16) And what a mercy it is, too! A rich mercy, shown with great love. (Ephesians 2:4).
Feeling helpless? Remember this mercy.
You may also be paralyzed by not knowing exactly what should be done first. Break the ice by just picking something. Throw a dart or flip a coin, if you need it. Think of it this way: some movement is better than not doing anything at all. You may be staring at a pile of lumber that needs to be a dog house. Skip to the end, go out, and buy a dog bed. There’s nowhere for it to go, but it had to be done sooner or later! Now it’s done, and you can keep working on everything else. Once you’ve broken out of the paralysis, you will be better able to assess and decide a reasonable order for all the rest of the steps.