HEATHER HOPES: Secret Sweeper

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
HeatherCathleenCox@gmail.com

Heather Cathleen CoxAutumn is an enchanting season. My favorite, if I had to pick one of the four. It’s a beautiful gift from God to be able to watch leaves change color—whether gold, orange, red or purple—before turning brown and drifting to the earth, as sort of a crunchy blanket.

Even though we, in South Texas, don’t get to experience all (or even most) of the glories found in the changing of seasons, we aren’t immune to the falling of dried-up, autumn leaves from treetops. Actually, here, it’s expedited; we skip the colorful part and go straight to the crunchy blanket.

And for those who enjoy the beauty of the season, I don’t have to tell you that it’s annoying.

I live in a fairly wooded place, laden with trees. Living in such a locale can be beautiful, especially in the spring when I can look out my bedroom window and see sunbeams peeking through the full greenery. However, in autumn, when every leaf from every tree turns brown and begins falling at once, the miracle is quickly lost.

Without witnessing autumn’s enrapturing kaleidoscope of color, all that’s left is a bunch of dead leaves coating your car each morning. They get underneath the hood. They cover your walkway and doorstep, and even if you’re careful, it’s very possible you’ll track them inside the house.

Even though I absolutely love nature and spend quite a bit of my time enjoying the sunshine, I don’t spend much time outside of my actual home. I’ve wondered why, and I think it’s because I have no back yard and my front porch is a concrete slab that faces a dreary parking lot. My neighbors, comparatively, are frequently outside and thusly keep chairs, benches, toys and BBQ pits on their porches…er, slabs. Assumedly, they endure the same “leaves are everywhere” issue I do, but they take the time to sweep the leaves away.

Yes, this would infer I don’t bother with the leaves! Judge me if you want. That’s fine. After last autumn, my first at this residence, where I’d easily waste 10 minutes sweeping and bagging leaves only to find more leaves on my porch the next time I exited my front door, I deemed the effort a waste of time.

I digress.

About a month ago, after a particularly exhausting day, I came home to find a mystery neighbor had swept and discarded of the leaves on my front porch. Since then, the person—I’d assume it’s the same one—has swept my porch “secretly” a total of three times. No note or anything has ever been left.

I see all of my neighbors regularly, so it would be easy for the Secret Sweeper to make a little comment about their good deed.  Although sweeping a neighbor’s front porch is no grand gesture, it is terribly thoughtful. It is exceedingly kind. And what’s more is every time I come home to find that someone has esteemed me highly enough to take time from their life to help me in a way I wouldn’t help myself, it warms my heart.

Today, I’d like to pose the thought: What if everyone was a Secret Sweeper in someone else’s life? A similar concept is actually taught in the Bible. See, the Lord knows everything we do, good and otherwise, but he specifically says He will reward good works which are done in secret. In Matthew 6:4, Jesus Himself says, “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”

I doubt my neighbor is being kind for purposes of praise or high regard; usually such folks sound their “great works” from the tops of mountains, or at the very least Facebook. Nonetheless, such kindness is a reminder to me that sacrificing a few moments of our daily life to do something “secretly” kind for our neighbor does not go unseen by God.

So, my friend, let us each be a Secret Sweeper in someone else’s life! And until we meet again, may you embrace the warm riches of God’s love! Love, Heather.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2014/10/17/heather-hopes-secret-sweeper/

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