How did your no-mow may go?
Dear Friends,
How did your 'no mow May' go? For those without a lawn: 'No mow May' is an annual campaign calling all lawn owners not to mow during May, to benefit spring flowers, insects, and other wildlife.
For many people, myself included, it is surprisingly difficult to leave the lawnmower untouched for a month. Why? I think it may have something to do with our psychological need for 'control', 'power' and 'order'. In a world where so many things are unpredictable, it can be very satisfying to keep the lawn tidy and neat.
Of course, most wildlife doesn't benefit much from short-cut lawns, and I would encourage anyone to leave an area of the lawn uncut, not just during May, but throughout the summer.
We do so in the churchyards of St Thomas and St James as part of our commitment to care for creation.
But I wanted to tell you a story about one of my colleagues. One year, he was so busy with work that he found no time to mow the Vicarage lawn. At the end of another stressful day, he sat down in the garden, and noticed that all kinds of wildflowers had begun to bloom. He said he took an important life lesson from that experience: When we stop trying to impose order, new life can emerge.
Are you brave enough to let go of your desire for power, control, and order? Sometimes it is good to see what might emerge when we step back from a situation. After all, ultimately, only God is in control. And all too often the problem of evil is nothing to do with God, but everything to do with us trying to do God's job. When humans claim too much power and control for themselves, they soon stand in God’s life-giving way. Let go, and let God.
Love and prayers,
