When the Barn Swallows Come

I mow. I mow often. My lawn mower is my best friend. If it could talk.

I had never mowed a lawn in my life until I got married. I had no idea how to run a lawn mower. My deere hubby gave me a quick lesson (and I do mean quick) and off I went. Believe me when I tell you I ran into trees and got a piece of wire fence wound round the blades. As the years passed (and every year for a few years I needed a refresher course on how to run the crazy thing), I got a little better at mowing. I am not the detail girl, Mr. Deere is, but I get most of it done. Let me explain what most is--we live on 5 acres and I mow around the house and three buildings and all the trees in our quickly growing grove.

I mow a lot.

Anyway, I noticed a phenomenon, not only can I not mow in a straight line, but I have company that joins me each time I mow.

Barn Swallows.

They are pesky little creatures. First one begins swooping about my head, then another and another until I have at least half a dozen flying about me. They can be a little distracting, especially for a girl who cannot mow in a straight line. (I've tried, truly I have....)

Those barn swallows are beautiful little creatures. They have an indigo back and a creamy underside and a cute little forked tail. But they distract and startle me from my mowing. Imagine mowing, and having a nice little quiet time, and then this bird swoops two feet in front of you! while you're moving forward!

So, I have learned to ignore those things and keep looking ahead, to keep looking at my goal.

'Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame' Isaiah 50:7.

This is what I need to do in everything. I need to set my face like flint before the Lord. I need to focus on Him, not on the distractions around. When those distractions come that tempt me to leave the path the Lord has laid out for me to walk, I remember the barn swallows and the mower and how I don't look at the birds, but I keep following the mowers swath. I know the birds are there, just as I know the distractions are there. The feelings of inadequacy, the fear, the comparisons, but I choose to focus on my Lord.

Set your face like flint on your goals and ignore those pesky birds!

Blessings,
Jess