Reflections on a poo pile...

There's a country lane near where I live that is surrounded by a mixture of farm land and houses.  I drive down this road every day when I take the boys to school.

Recently, this part of my drive has been a bit more fragrant...  Or to be frank about it; smelly...  It properly pongs.  The reason for this is the huge pile of manure sat in a field, waiting to do its fertilising duty. This poo pile is the size of a house; and it's been sitting there for a while now, steaming away.  Lovely.

I was musing a little on this as I drove past it for the 78th time...  Obviously the manure is not pleasant, particularly for the farmer who must have to spend more time with it than most.  However, it does serve a purpose; after all, you'd have to be completely certifiable to spread muck all over your fields if it had no appreciable benefits...

I think it's pretty amazing (or you could say creative of God) that something that is so obviously a waste product can be so nourishing for the soil.  God is particularly good at recycling. 

I do wonder though, who first thought: 'I know, I'll put poo on my flowers - that will make them grow better'...  Maybe some divine inspiration...  Heavenly horticulture?

And then I got to wondering...  What about all the metaphorical poo in the world?  All the job losses, relationship break-ups, horrible illnesses, sleepless nights, and so on...  The 'life's going along OK, and then all of a sudden, you're flattened by an unexpected pile of (hopefully metaphorical) poo that arrives out of nowhere'.  Actually, I shouldn't be flippant; sometimes being covered in real poo would actually be preferable...

So here's the thing...  What if God can actually create something good out of the apparently meaningless, horrible thing?  Is it possible that God can redeem even these situations?  Can God - as Rastamouse would say - 'make a bad ting good'?

The apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans (see chapter 5:3-5) where he writes:
"...we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Much greater minds than mine have spent a lot of time thinking about the issue of suffering, and whether it causes a problem with belief in a loving God.  If this is a big question for you - then it would be another good reason to go on an Alpha Course (I know, I know - more shameless plugging!).  I truly believe that God really is the master at bringing good out of a seemingly hopeless situation.  He's done it in my life, and He can do it in yours too. 

I know it's much easier to write it down than to live it...  but I think when times get really tough, it's then we have to trust that He is the master gardener, and He knows what He's doing.