Push Your Mind a Bit More

Published 1:57 pm Monday, October 12, 2026

Many years ago, I worked for a lawn care company who advertised that a customer could have a lush, green and healthy yard with the service we provided. One particular day I had an appointment to survey a lawn. I was to measure the turf area to know what material costs would be as well as determine the current health of the lawn, what type of grass it was, possible diseases and the problem weeds that existed. I would then share this information with the prospective customers and encourage them as to how we could improve the condition of their lawn.

I knocked on the door, and an elderly lady answered the door. I was sharing with her the scope of issues that she was dealing with explaining to her that the lawn really needed more water. This was indicated by the folded leaf blades of the grass and when I bent over to pull a blade out of her turf to show her this, my calculator fell from my pocket. She was quick to say, “Oops. Your brain fell out.” Quizzically, I retorted, “What?!” This retired teacher grinned and went on to tell me how she would never let her students use calculators because they would get lazy and stop using their minds to make the calculations. 

I never forgot what she said. From that day forward I would push my mind a bit more to do the calculations which she said I was capable of, and in so many words, having been to lazy to do!

God is much like this lady when He encourages us to push our minds to do those things He knows we are capable of doing, so He tells us through the apostle Paul, “make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Pointing to the necessity of treating the Bible responsibly.

Paul also stated that the Bible is “…God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). This allows for pushing our minds to first learn of God, become convinced of what we learn, then allow for alterations in our behaviors as they align with God’s expectations for us. All of this is that instruction for us leading to living rightly, first with God then with others. 

I still remember that day long ago when I dropped my calculator, being kindly reprimanded by a teacher, not so retired I might add! It is my prayer that I never drop my Bible, for it contains “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).