Daily Lesson for November 4, 2014

Today's daily lesson comes from Luke chapter 13 verses 6 through 9:

6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Now here's a provocative image. The crap in our lives we would rather not have to deal with or do, turns out to often be the fertilizer that makes capable of growing into who God wishes us to be.

I'm not sure I like that. In fact, I'm sure I don't.  I prefer my growth to come by being well-watered and given plenty of warm sun-light, not having horse manure come my way.  But, looking back it does seem that at certain times it really was the horsecrap that made me stronger.

Richard Rohr says that at some point in life we have pretty much learned all we can from success, but it is failure which still has things to teach us. In other words, it's life's crap that can keep us growing.

So, the next time something seriously manure-like gets thrown your way, it may be just the crap you needed.