Old + New = Broke (Finale)

Ok, I got all the parts replaced on the mower deck and one of my kids started mowing. Five minutes later I heard those dreaded words, "Dad, your mower is broke again." The drive belt snapped. Here we go again, back to the store for another belt. 30 minutes to drive to the store, 10 minutes to find the right belt and pay for it, 30 more minutes to drive home, and about 30 minutes to actually install the new belt. All in all, just over one hour to completely get the mower going again. And it is working, the whole lawn is cut. Finally.

The interesting thing about this whole saga, however, is that it occured over weeks at a time. When I replaced the blades and mower deck belt, it took about 45 minutes of work, but then the pulley broke. After waiting over a week to get the new pulley, I got the old one off in about 10 minutes, but I broke the mount bolts. After 2 days I got the new bolts and installed them in about 20 minutes, but then the drive belt broke. I had other obligations, so it took almost a week before I had the time to get to the store and buy a replacement belt. All-in-all, what could have been an afternoon (4-5 hours) of work turned into weeks of waiting to get parts. It is really frustrating to know what needs to be done and be unable to do it because you don't have parts. I felt like the broken mower was hanging over my head on a thread.

It was all very distracting and very nit-picky. I understood what needed to be done. The goal was to get the mower working so the lawn could be mowed. I knew where I was headed. But these pesty little distractions just kept getting in the way. Blades and belts, pulleys and bolts, nothing earth shattering or permanently broken, just irritation factors.

Don't we often get distracted from our real goals by pesty, nit-picky things? They just keep piling up, and while we know they are just short-term bumps, they do keep us from accomplishing what God would have us accomplish. Why? Because even though they are not a major focus, they take time to handle. And since we only have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, that time is taken from our major purpose. I couldn't mow the lawn, because I had to fix the lawn mower. The grass kept growing, but I kept having to push back my mowing day in order to fix the mower. I never forgot the purpose of what I was doing, but I was a little aggrivated that I couldn't get it done in my time, on my schedule.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
--Hebrews 12:1-2

A wise pastor friend of mine once said, "God is always on time. He is never late and seldom early, but always on time." I love that statement. We need to keep our focus on God's time. We are just told to keep our eyes on the goal and keep pressing for it. God will deliver, in His way and His time. "Fixing our eyes on Jesus" and pressing on for the goal. And it will be for the ultimate good for those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28).

Now, if I could just get my weed-eater working.............