When Tough Stuff Happens

September 2

When the “_______” hits the fan (and everything blows up in our face), I wonder sometimes if it’s the fertilizer needed for greater fruit in the next place we’ll work.

Adversity brings discomfort; so true. Set backs in our vocation just plain suck and bring a ton of hurt and all those “why” questions. Most of the time, I really try to avoid the tough stuff or at least get through it quickly.

But sometimes we get comfortable and complacent. At times there are seen and unseen complexities and pressures where we work that can consume us and thus hamper us. It’s like fighting an uphill battle at the very place where we are trying our best to fulfill our destiny. But it’s just not working and deep down we know it.

I have been there…recently. The fan felt so ominous and overwhelming and then the spray when the stuff hit…well, you got the picture and you likely know the feeling!

But is it possible that the fan and the excrement are a good thing?

Today, I feel like it may be a possibility but most of the time in the ups and downs of unforeseen set backs, its just plain crappy.

But what does beauty from ashes really mean and is it really true for you and me in life? I have been physically burnt in the past and it is really painful…scares are there to prove it. Yet, as tragic as the fires in California or BC are right now, we are told that out of the burned out areas comes a new refreshing, a cleansing, a starting over! Nature is less bothered by fires in the circle of life.

Maybe we shouldn’t be.

Gold is refined through the fire not “near” the fire. Gold actually breaks down before the dross is revealed and removed. Get the picture. For me, I don’t believe that God went for coffee when tough stuff hits the fan in my life. He has allowed it for a reason. Could it be His refining?

No, I don’t like it; I’m not some situational masochist. But I have seen and experienced much growth and good come through the ashes of set backs…even mine. And most of the time, my dross gets really clear. It can help me refocus on what is really important – and another level of refining is possible.

So join me right now in seeing where the dross may be in your destiny- what you are called to be doing, in your relationships- how you are affecting those in your world- in your authenticity- are you who you portray yourself to be and in your heart- are you chasing after what really matters.

And maybe next time, when you hear the fan winding up, think fertilizer…think growth and look for a real purpose in the tough stuff. That’s where I am at.