Manure

Hi Kids, welcome back to my thoughts!! :)

At camp a couple of weeks ago, the analogy was presented that the fruits of the spirit are grown in us not specifically for us, but for the world. As with many messages that week, the message didn't grab our group as much as the discussion enabled by the message did afterwards... In the discussion following that particular message, we talked a bit about the fruit, and had a funny little interlude where Jared mentioned that fruit grows bigger and better when manure is introduced into the equation!!

We joked about how in our lives it's also true: when the crap comes, that's often when we grow most quickly and best!! That's when we trust and rely on God more fully!!

I came home from camp with no idea that I'd be walking into a crappy situation a week later, but I did. For now, I won't really tell you anything about that, but it's stupid... and I've been thinking about that analogy from camp.

I've been realizing how easy it is to say to our friends: "just rely on the promises of God!!" and I've been asking my friends to pray that I'd be able to rely on those promises... God promises that He'll bring good out of any situation if we only trust in Him.

So I'm working on relaxing and trusting. And it sucks and it's hard.

And as I walk through this little valley of the shadow of crap, I realize...

Crap helps the fruit growing in us grow stronger and more tasty.

Crap makes everything around us smell so much sweeter.

So if you'd be so kind, say a little prayer for me: pray that the crap surrounding me helps me grow stronger and more faithful; pray that I'm able to fully trust God's promises; pray that the crap feeds me, and then goes away!!

Right??