“Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.”– A. Cohen
John O’Leary discusses working two summers on a farm. It was hard work but also created many opportunities to learn and grow. That is when he talks about the Honey Wagon.
What is a honey-wagon?
A man named Wayne pulled it behind his tractor to our farm. He’d collected manure from local hog farms and loaded it into a van-sized container called the ‘honey-wagon.’ Wayne then added water to liquefy the compound. He’d then pull the concoction behind his tractor, spreading the nutrient-rich and stank-smelling mixture across the fields.
It reeked for days on end and for miles around, but that fertilizer ensured that the soil would be ripe with nutrients, the crops would grow and the harvest would produce bountiful yields.
My friends, what does any of this have to do with your business, relationships, life?
It’s simple: the “worst” stuff was used as a foundation to ensure the best stuff could grow; what most viewed as only rancid waste was used as rich fertilizer.
This is true not only on a farm, but also in life.
Upon reflection, the experiences that stink the most to get through, are frequently the same experiences that ignite growth in character, strength in faith, and perspective in life.
Adverse times birth resilience and grit, demand a change in attitude, and call upon us to do more than we thought possible.
Growth frequently hurts, but the “stinky” challenges of today, are fuel to produce the mighty harvests of tomorrow.
Today, as you wade through a field of challenges, remember the power of the honey-wagon.
Martha' s Messenger 