"Shovel"

It’s been my turn to shovel,

It seems like for awhile,

Somehow the more I shovel,

The bigger gets the pile.

You say, well no, not really,

But that’s the way I feel,

It’s not just my emotion,

But manure that is real.

And, no, you can’t avoid it,

All manage solid waste,

It’s just a part of living,

A-ploddin’ or in haste.

Some deny they have it,

And theirs, it does not stink,

But let me tell you, brother,

They’re wrong the way they think.

It’s just another reason,

We need God to come through,

He gave us the shovel,

And how to use it, too.

No matter where it comes from,

Or just how big the pile,

Be faithful with your labor,

And then in just awhile,

You’ll have a poop-free season,

And when you do be glad,

When you get back to shovelin’,

Praise God for what you had.

“…when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy…” (James 1:2, NLT)

You got trials and so do I. Everyone does. The difference is that believers in Jesus Christ take a different approach to their troubles. They literally make fertilizer out of the manure that happens in their lives. That’s what James was talking about when he said that troubles give us an opportunity for great joy. How? Trials are God’s way of teaching us how to change and in the end to be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Wouldn’t that be something? If we reached a place in our lives where we needed nothing. That would be because we have everything we need. But that place is impossible without going through a process of change brought on by trouble. There is no shortcut, but worth it every time it happens. Oh, and one more thing. When (not if) it happens to you, ask God for wisdom which He will generously give. What a life-changing way of looking at how life changes. Get some.

Lord, teach us how to fertilize our future with the stuff that happens to day, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Dane, dondane.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.