And The Good News Is...
by S.Johnson
copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved
"Yesterday's Muck"
How consciously purposeful to God I felt yesterday.
Lots done during the day,
prepared a great healthy dinner for a friend, and
some more breakthroughs in my horses and humans research project. I felt
so blessed, so useful.
And I was graced with spending a lot of time outside in the fresh country air and
sunshine! Sneezing all day through fall allergies, I was still happy for the sun and freedom.
Profoundly greatful and aware of how blessed I felt, it was obvious to me God was at work in my life.
In those " obvious" blessings, of course I had to make my way through a
bit of muck. Muck never looks like a blessing. Yet, I call muck
"fertilizer for the future."
Changing how you think about 'muck' changes what you do with it and how quickly you go through it!
I had to make many phone calls, and do some things I really would
rather have not. However, they were all part of the mucking process.
Mucking is a horse term meaning 'to clean or sift." You have to muck a
stall several times a day to keep it healthy and clean. Why not your own day?
So my day is my stall and I just have to happily muck it out to get
to the 'obvious' blessings. I like a clean stall. So does my horse! I even conduct a workshop called Holy Mucking.
Anyway, as I was walking from cooking to town to catch my ride home,
God put me in a womans path, a woman who I had never met. I learned she
teaches in a small town nearby. It had been a long and rough day for
her.
Within five minutes tears were trickling down her cheeks and she was
pouring her heart out. I was honored she felt the comfort to do that. I am comfortable with people "letting go" like that, as they always
seem to know I can be trusted and I'm not going to judge them. It has
happened with regularity since I was little.
As I listened and we chatted, she seemed to feel some relief. She
wondered if she could pass me along to her student's parents? I laughed a
little and said sure.We said our goodbyes and I shook my head as I continued on my way.
"God," I said, " you always surprize me. And you know how I love surprizes. Good ones, of course."
Somehow this made me think of other times He has surprized me. Like the opportunity He gave me to help bring an elderly lady back to life.
She died on the altar on Easter Sunday! And God gave me and another woman the job of jumping up and helping to revive her.
When she finally took a breath and turned from cold stone blue to a
newborn pink, before she even opened her eyes, she smiled an angelic
smile and said, sweetly with a little lilt, "Happy Easter!"
Quite a humbling and deeply moving experience. Incredulous to this day, yet none the less real.
These kinds of profound experiences all seem to have power to inspire me as well as drain me.
The rough parts are when I can really feel the mucking process, the sifting, the
polishing. Like God's mucking my day to make sure He gets the clean and
polished pearl or diamond he made me to be.The times when I haven't been as on target as He wants me, those have
been painful reminders. Bouncing off Gods guard rails isn't fun. Yet,
where would I be without them?
Funny, I always take the painful experiences personally. Complain? Admittedly, and 'arghhh,' yes. Question why with a resounding 'are You kidding me?!' Sometimes.
Yet, I
never blame Him for putting me through them or take credit for the so called "miraculous" ones. Through grace, I always see them
as a way God is cleaning my stall, and asking me to be here for Him. Seems God likes a clean stall, too.
Right God?
"Arghhh and duh."
Maybe He uses me to remind people about forgiveness,
understanding and hope? Maybe they are His way of reminding me!! Lord
knows I need reminding myself.
That seems to be why I like working with kids and people who
communicate differently...people with special needs, wise old
sages, people who need a bit of His 'obvious' presents...and horses, of course. Why I don't mind listening. After all,
its not about me.
And, when I am conscious of the 'obvious miracles' or profound experiences and how God uses me on His behalf, I thank
Him. I am in such a humble state, I find it hard to accept how He uses
me like that and impossible not to thank Him.
When I'm am feeling the discomfort of His mucking me out, I am 'arghh' thankful anyway. I know that He is using those experiences as 'fertilizer for my future.'
S. Johnson
And The Good News Is...
Copyright
Oct.10,2012
All Rights Reserved
