About a week ago, the kids and I met my in-laws out on a ranch in Brownwood where my father in law, Jake, was doing some remodeling work. We went for a few days in order to roam the wide open spaces and get away from our normal routine. One morning, the kids and I accompanied Jake on a rugged ATV ride through the property. We fed the grazing cattle, bobbled slowly on the downhill slopes, and climbed up a few steep pathways for some sweet scenic views of the hills and ledges surrounding us.
On the smoothest part of the ride, we rode through one of the few areas of pasture on the back end of the property. I was finally able to relax and let go of the tight clutch I had on my toddler who was in the front seat with me. I noticed a lot more then. We drove through a little opening in the fence and I peered along the fenceline. Off in the distance, I could see a little blue tractor. Jake mentioned that the last owner of the ranch had left it behind after it had gotten stuck and broke down some time ago. Apparently, he needed to do some work on it, but it wasn’t worth his time. So he just left it. It’s sat there ever since.
Now, I know nothing about fixing a tractor. Yet, upon hearing the back story about Little Blue, a deeper story struck my spirit. Sometimes I feel like all I do is make something out of nothing, and that I’m somewhat reaching, but lately I’ve felt like God is wanting me to reach. He’s asking me to keep my eyes open wide to see the little nuggets that He’s hidden all around me. Just as the friends of Jesus learned on the Road to Emmaus, He could be right there and you’d never know it!
I’ve learned that when I do ask God to open my eyes and ears to better hear and see Him moving, I start to feel deeply about a lot of things. And in that particular moment, I felt sad for the tractor. I really did.
The life of a follower of Jesus Christ is much like the ranch. There are seasons when we get caught in the thick brush, we bobble down rugged slopes, and with a slow crawl, we may even see the beauty of Heaven laid before us over a hilltop view. I’m most concerned, in this scenario, with what happens when we’re cruising through green pastures. Are we aware of the little blue tractors caught in the thicket? Are we leaving behind those with the greatest potential because we see them as the greatest problem? Are we making the time to invest in the broken things around us? I imagine what would happen if they got that tractor back up and running just like I imagine what would happen if the people of God invested the goodness of His love into what’s broken around them. People would be set free. Land would be plowed, leaving behind a wider path for more to follow.
Remember this, friends:
You were once lost, and now you are found.
Once blind and now you see.
Amazing grace has rescued you,
Who else needs rescuing?
This Sunday is Mother’s Day and I am reminded of the investments made in my life by so many mother figures. It is a mother’s job to invest. It’s our job to fix, whether we have the tools or not. It doesn’t matter the terrain in that particular season of life. We have to stop. We have to make the time. Oftentimes we feel like a ranch hand in our own right—bringing life into the world, overseeing the growth of that life, and working alongside the creation to grow into a deeper love for the Creator.
I first learned to love the name of Jesus from my Mother’s lips as she sang “Jesus Loves Me.” The time she invested, along with the “blood, sweat and tears” while speaking the name of Jesus over my life— it’s the reason that I know where to find Him. Right there in my brokenness. In seasons where I’ve been caught in a thick mess, no hope for a way out, my Momma was praying the name of Jesus over me. She knew then what I know now: that Jesus has the power to pull the immovable out of their entanglements.
So, in the same way that I wouldn’t even know where to begin to bring life back to that little blue tractor, you can’t always fix the broken things that you find—but trust me; you know a guy. 😉
Happy Mother’s Day
Love, Kari
