Shoveling

So you are 14, have some community service to do, and lo and behold- you can shovel some doo- doo at the same place where your brother is taking horse-back riding therapy. Beautiful! Mom makes one trip…an opportunity for the teenager to do something useful (65 hours worth), even better.

Sometimes in life you have to shovel a bit of doo-doo. As a parent I find that I have had to shovel my fair amount, so it is only fair that my spiritual offspring should as well. J

                “Mom, there was so much poo! We just finished shoveling, and there was more!”

Ah, my son, such is life. As overwhelming as these things can be, there is a lesson in it. Christ wants so much more for us.  Instead of becoming bogged down in the muck and mire of our circumstances, he wants to help us shovel out. He wants us to quit feeling sorry for ourselves when things don’t go quite the way we planned (so hard to accept for the planner!), and if shoveling poo is where he places us…I say we dig in, and make the most of it!

Recently we hit a huge bump in the road with Big C (hence the reason he is shoveling poo)…this could have gone one of two directions. As his parents, David and I had a choice to make. We could become devastated over where Big C “could be” headed, or we could choose to believe that the Lord revealed these things to us- in order to help him “shovel out”. The Lord is beginning the painful process of purification. To the world, this appears devastating. To believers, this is a beautiful beginning. I, for one, am excited to see where the Lord leads Big C.

We can see the tide shifting, and while there was a moment or two (or three) where I felt tempted to give in to the tidal wave of anger, hurt, fear and self pity, I want to be clear- none of those emotions are welcome here! I have to ask myself the question, “What does Christ want for our family?” I believe the answer is, “To bless us”. So I embrace that blessing.

                Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,  your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it”.