Today while riding my mower in careful straight lines in the backyard, I thought, “right now someone somewhere is performing heart surgery, someone in a lab somewhere is inventing a newer faster computer chip, someone sitting in front of a keyboard is writing a song for the ages”. Me, I was making the lawn look nice. For a moment, I felt diminished, inconsequential; I felt like a waster of time and talent.

But the truth of real life is that it largely consists of small routines, done over and over. We learn to be diligent in doing the tedious tasks, preparing ourselves for those brief moments when we get to do something of lasting importance. And what we get to do is ordained for us by the measure of talent, time, and opportunity we are given.

Because I would faint at the sight of blood, surgery is not my gift. I was poor at math and science due to a wandering mind, so anything more complicated than basic electrical wiring is a mystery to me. And although I love to sing in the choir, I don’t understand how little notes and bars are created to make a song.

What I have been given is a highly developed sense of responsibility. Thus, I have worked diligently to support myself and my family, I pay my bills and taxes on time and in full, I take care of my stuff, and I have been faithful to my wife for more than fifty-five years.

I have been given a great love for reading; I read fast and hard and lose myself in books. I have a great appreciation for facts and ideas well-expressed, and have developed a talent for verbal communication that has served me well despite my lack of formal, post high school education. And I continue to write because I enjoy it, and in the hope that someone, somewhere will be blessed by the works of my mind. Or at least I hope they see some truth there, and maybe get a chuckle or two when I write about my golf game or my driving adventures.

But today, I mowed the lawn. I think it looks nice, and my neighbors have expressed their appreciation for the fruit of my labors. I don’t feel inferior, it’s what I was given to do today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll write the Great American Novel.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 (CSB)