Horse Apples, Patience and Perfection

HORSE APPLES, PATIENCE AND  PERFECTION

We had been keeping the horses in a small pen that needed daily cleaning of manure.  As we tossed the horse apples and soiled hay over the wall, it quickly became quite a pile.  

No problem because we were going to need some compost to enrich the sandy desert soil.  But there was a problem! 
Several of them in fact!  In order for compost do its magic of breaking down the manure and fibrous grasses three things were required:  material to break down, moisture and air.  When these are all present in appropriate ratios, wah-la—garden gold! 

An examination of the pile, revealed that it was very dry and barely heating up (which is what does the magic).  So I began the process of moving the pile a few feet.  In the process the top became the bottom, the sides got mixed to the middle, and I added enough water that it ran out the bottom…and of course the shoveling added the air.  Within a day, the pile was percolating nicely while we built a new pile with the daily harvest of horse apples and soiled hay.  

Then, it got cold.  It even snowed!  And my beautiful pile got neglected.  I had planned to turn it every week or two, but because of the cold and rainy weather, the new pile grew out of control and the old pile—well--it just sat there.  I finally got back out to move them and to my dismay, both piles were cold…not frozen (it doesn’t get that cold in this part of New Mexico), but cold enough that no magic was happening!  Sad face!

It was a lot of work to move the first pile again.  To my surprise, it was fairly moist.  What was missing was air!  Turning the pile worked.  Within a day the temperature was high enough to be steaming!  YAY!!

Life produces a lot of poop in our lives also.  Believe it or not, there is a way to turn that poop into golden perfection: 

 “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  James 1:2-4 KJV

A more contemporary version says it this way: 

“My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!  For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.  And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.  James 1:2-4 The Passion Translation

So just like in garden compost, we have some ingredients:  the faith that is being tested, attitude (joy), and patience.  When we add joy and patience to the difficulty the magic happens and we end up being perfect!  That is, we become more like Christ!  If we are missing one of those ingredients, our pile gets cold and no transformation can take place…uh oh…God is likely to stir the pile of our life!  We may whine and complain to God, but our happiness is not God’s first priority…helping us to become more like Christ is.   So…

”Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.”  I Peter 4:12-13  The Message

My husband and I have been on a fast track learning how to be joyful in trials.  It is not easy!  But God is able to give us the strength and the joy in the middle of the fire. 

How about you?  Are you letting God turn your poop into perfection?