Turning Manure into Ministry
Growing up in north-central Indiana, we were known for two things: basketball and corn. From an early age, you learned how to shoot a basketball and how to detassel and shuck corn. Those were simply parts of everyday life. Even today, whenever the movie Hoosiers comes on television, it's almost impossible for me to change the channel. It takes me back to the sights, smells, and memories I made growing up. Basketball was fun, but working in the fields was hard.
There was one part of farming, however, that nobody looked forward to…
Every spring before planting and after the harvest, farmers would spread manure across the fields.
If you've ever been around that process, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The smell was overwhelming. You couldn't escape it. It wasn't pleasant, and it certainly didn't look like something that would produce anything worthwhile.
Yet every farmer understood something that I didn't fully appreciate as a kid.
Manure is one of the richest sources of nutrients for the soil. What looks unpleasant and smells terrible becomes the very thing that helps produce a healthy, abundant harvest.
I've often thought about how much that resembles the way God works.
God has an incredible ability to take the “crap” of this world—our pain, disappointments, failures, grief, betrayal, trauma, and suffering—and grow something beautiful through them.
That doesn't mean the brokenness of life is good. It doesn't mean God delights in our suffering.
It means He is so powerful, so loving, and so good that He refuses to let our pain have the final word. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even in the heaviest seasons, God is actively working behind the scenes to cultivate growth, strength, and purpose from our pain.
I pray that all of you lean into the Lord as you move faithfully forward in your home, in your marriage, and at the agencies that you serve.
Thank you for Serving the Shield!
Jeff A. Rosenberry
Spiritual Care Coordinator
