Have you ever done a good deed that just turned out bad? You had wonderful intentions but things just did not turn out well. Either your motives were misinterpreted or the execution was poor. Such an event happened to me recently.
One night after dinner this past week, my wife and I were praying that God would bless a certain area of our lives. This is a big burden for us and we desperately need supernatural intervention. After praying, I began mowing our front yard.
As I was pushing my mower around the front yard, I felt God saying to me, “If you want a blessing, be a blessing.”  My next door neighbor is a single mom who also really needed her grass mowed.  I felt impressed that I should mow her front yard along with mine.
I had finished a section of my yard next to her’s when I began mowing her lawn. I had not finished mine completely but no problem, it would only take about 45 minutes to help her. While I was mowing, she graciously thanked me. I turned off my mower to speak with her.
This was such a blessing. I was helping a neighbor truly in need!
After finishing the conversation,  I could not get my mower to crank back up. I kept pulling and pulling the rip cord but to no avail. Then something very, very bad happened. I pulled the cord again and it tore right off the lawn mower!
“God, you have got to be kidding me!” I thought.
If I would have just kept mowing my own yard, I would have a perfectly cut lawn (instead of 2/3 completed) and a mower that did not need repairing (though the cord would have probably tore shortly anyway). What we had now was two yards that were 2/3 cut and a mower in need of repair.
As I reflected on this situation, I think there are several leadership principles we can learn from this:
- The Importance Of Obedience – Regardless of the outcome, leaders should always do the right thing.
- Make Relationships A Long-Term Priority – It was the thought that counted. This single mom knew our family was there to serve her. This will deepen an already solid relationship.
- Plan For Long-Term Maintenance – Car tires wear out. Heating and air units break down. Property taxes come every year. Batteries die. Cars will need repairing. Medical expenses are coming. And lawn mowers eventually need maintenance. I did not have the money this month for this expense. But it came anyway. Effective leaders budget and plan for long-term maintenance and expenses.
- The Value Of Long-Term Investment – Though it turned out bad, I know God wanted me to mow my neighbor’s lawn. She needed help.  I do feel God is going to bless my intentions and obedience. I don’t know how He will but look forward to the day all of this makes sense. Leaders understand the value of long-term investment.
Obedience, Relationships, Maintenance, and Investment. Leaders, when your best intentions go awry, focus on these four items. They will keep you from putting your head in your hands and getting discouraged.
Leaders, have you ever done a good deed that turned out bad? I would love to hear about it.
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