I have a tree over my driveway.
It dumps leaves right away, and I need to clear them off the driveway or it’s hard to see when I’m pulling in (with stone walls on both sides of the driveway, there’s very little room for error).
Last year I tried to be creative (and fast), so I tried a leaf vacuum (yup, I caved to an impulse purchase), a leaf blower (a worthwhile purchase), and a lawn mower (another worthwhile purchase, but it only left a leafy mess).
This year, now that I’m older and wiser, I found a quicker and more productive method: use a rake. Actually, a leaf blower and a rake (and my new leaf bags. I’m almost too excited about these leaf bags – I got the idea from a guy at the dump, the most adulting moment ever). Novel idea, right?
I’m reminded that sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution, even though it may seem hard. Sometimes I just need to do the hard work, whether that means making a change in my routine, making a change in my schedule, or adding/removing something from my life (maybe a person? ouch). It might mean having the difficult conversation I want to avoid (at a former job we referred to this as me “putting on my big girl pants”.)
So I ask myself:
Where am I putting my effort?
Where am I putting my time?
Where am I toiling or wasting time? (work smarter, not harder!)
Each year at work I ask myself: What don’t I need to do? What can I do more effectively? What needs to go? What needs to stay? What can be streamlined?
Why don’t I do this more in my own life?
Because I’m not being lazy, but I do add things to my plate in order to avoid doing what I don’t want to do. Ah, avoidance. You’ve become too common a friend.
I can put a lot of my time, energy, and brain power into doing something that:
– doesn’t need to be done
– doesn’t need to be done by me (pride, vanity)
– can be done more effectively/productively
I’m reminded of the saying, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” If it’s not part of your vernacular, add it 🙂
But I must do it all with kindness, despite the circumstances.
“But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of conflict.” 1 Thessalonians 2:2 ESV
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.” 2 Timothy 2: 24-25a ESV
So let’s do the hard things. Let’s avoid avoidance. Let’s be kind and reflect God’s love during conflict. And let’s just go ahead and use a rake.
