Stay on the track

We have a wayward sprinkler. That tractor often jumps the guiding hose and goes wherever it pleases.

The last time I watered, I caught it heading straight for the street, not once, but twice. Blessedly for everyone, it had gotten the tip of an arm caught on an obstacle both times. I would hate to think of the liability we could incur if our sprinkler ran into the street.

Didn’t it listen to its mother? “How many times have I told you not to play in the street?”

I just want the sprinkler to follow the very clear path I’ve set for it and do its job on this planet. Just spread water on the grass and gardens — not the sidewalks, not the street. That’s all I’m asking it to do. It has all the direction, all the power and all the equipment necessary to do its job, but it tends to be wayward and disobedient.

I get so aggravated when I have to rescue it and set it back on the proper path. I want to tell it, “Can’t you just follow the path I’ve lain out for you?”

The last time I picked up that sprinkler and replaced it where it belonged, I realized that I am often just like my annoying sprinkler.

My Savior tells me, “This is the way; walk in it.”

And I do – for awhile. Then I get alarming tendencies to jump the guidance hose and wander willy-nilly. How many times have I been saved by an obstacle he has placed in my path to stop me from going headlong into catastrophe? How many times has He had to pick me up and put me back on the right track? How many times have I missed an opportunity to spread Living Water in the right place because I was wandering instead of working?

Does He get as aggravated as I do when my sprinkler does what it shouldn’t be doing? Does He sigh in exasperation as I do when I find that my sprinkler has taken a useless path instead of being of service?

He must have a lot more patience with me than I do with my sprinkler. I’m so grateful for that. I’m so thankful that His mercies are new every morning and that His faithfulness is unbounded.

So next time I see that my sprinkler has jumped the track, I’ll try to examine myself to see where I’ve jumped off track.