There are few human occupations as enjoyable as running a lawnmower over uncut grass. When we start, the grass is uneven, and when we’re finished, the lawn is smooth and well-trimmed. For a few days, it maintains that appearance, and we look approvingly upon it.
Where does this satisfaction come from? It’s programmed into us. Genesis makes it clear that one of our basic purposes is to “dress and prune the earth”. When we mow our lawns, we are fulfilling a deep desire programmed into us from our beginnings in Eden. Clearing brush from overgrown fields and pasturelands is another satisfying activity.
From tiny dish gardens to vast, well-mowed estates, many of us find a deep enjoyment in dressing and pruning the earth. Those of us who are called to dress and prune find joy in it, and move onwards to understand that it is a small step to something far, far bigger.
When we begin to dress and prune ourselves, getting rid of the warty protuberances and irregularities that grow, if unchecked, in our minds and on our souls, we move closer to The Programmer, and the ongoing realization of how very, very much He loves us all.
