Energize With A New Beginning

My lawn is a little larger than most city lots but with a steep hill to the back. For some reason, this year it has been more challenging to mow than years past. In the past I could mow the entire lawn in about an hour and a half. This year I found myself mowing it in two stages. Sometimes the second stage is done a day later. I am sure it was the heat (don’t even suggest age is a factor). One of the times this last mid-summer when I was mowing I had an epiphany. I eventually figured out that stopping for a half hour, getting something to eat and drink really helped my ability to complete the job. It was about refueling and re-energizing! This experience has caused me to evaluate other tasks that I find myself challenged with because I don’t know well enough to stop, refuel and then start with a new beginning.

Contemplating on my epiphany caused me to think about a story I heard of a young lumberjack. This young buck applied for a job cutting lumber and proudly stated he could cut more wood in a day than anyone else on the team. The owner decided to give him a chance to prove himself so he hired him. The first day he worked especially hard and he cut up ten trees, a little short of the record. The next day he worked especially hard again but that day he only cut up nine trees. He left work that day frustrated with his lack of performance. The next day he showed up even more determined but this time he was only able to cut eight trees. At the end of the third day the owner came to talk with him. He congratulated the young man on his efforts and he understood the young woodsman’s frustration. The owner said to him, “have you thought about sharpening your axe periodically? It should make quite the difference.”

Yes, I have sharpened the blade on my mower 😊, but let’s take the real point of these stories further. It is astounding to me how much of a difference it makes to pause, re-fuel and start again. All along I thought I was doing just fine. I was blind and now I see. At times I felt like I was at war with my lawn, or maybe it was the lawn mower. Never-the-less the battle was exhausting! The break, the food and water helped me feel like it was a new beginning starting afresh at the job. With refueling and renewed energy comes a new beginning. You could even say new life.

It is especially true in our spiritual life. We may charge on through life each day often feeling exhausted and overcome with frustration but doing okay. We may be blind and not see that we need God and His grace in our lives. God’s grace is real! The Catechism says, “The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.” (CCC 1999) “God’s free initiative demands man’s free response…” (CCC2002). A new beginning! Every day and throughout the day we have opportunities for a new beginning especially when we include Him in everything we do. If we are open to hearing His voice He can inspire us with His love and enrich our lives!

We experience a new beginning, a recharged spirit by God's gift to us with His grace each time we receive the Sacraments. How often after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation or receiving the Eucharist do we feel a new sense of energy and renewal? I would say Always! Other ways to experience that new beginning can be praying a Novena or going to Adoration. It could be doing a pilgrimage to a holy place such as a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary or apparition of Jesus.

God’s grace is real and I attest that we need Him. Dedicating more time with our Lord can bring us closer to His peace and bring a greater clarity into our lives. Starting every day in prayer or even better daily Mass can make an incredible difference and bring a holy and spiritual meaning to a new beginning in our life. Let us Shine Like the Son and always be ready to receive God’s grace anticipating that eternal new beginning with our Lord.