Hardly Worthy

This past summer I had the privilege of going on a trip to Washington D.C. with my leadership class. One of the stops we made was to the North American Division (NAD) office. We were given a tour through the building and finally came to the NAD president, Dan Jackson’s, office. He was there, so we stopped and talked with him for a bit.

I have a weird habit where I constantly have to be playing with something while having a conversation, so I picked up this rock, plaque-like object he had on his desk.

I said “Wow, this thing looks so cool.” He responds, “It does, doesn’t it—but you don’t know what coprolite is, do you?” I replied that I didn’t as he started laughing, “Well, it’s poop!”

Grossed out, I made a face and gingerly set the “plaque” back down on his desk. The wood it rested on had words engraved stating: “Coprolite: When chairing an important committee, at times an issue can start out messy and unsettling. But, with patience, over time, the result can become precious.”

Coprolite is fossilized dung that, due to Noah’s flood and over an extensive period of time, has become beautiful. These rare rocks are multi-colored and sell for quite a bit of money.

The dinosaurs probably never would’ve thought that something so mundane would become so rare and valuable. Every aspect of life takes time—school, relationships, friendships, food—everything. We rush in, thinking everything has to happen NOW! “I need to decide on this job now”, “I need to know now if I should marry him/her!”, or “I have to know now what I’m going to do in 5 years.” It’s exhausting. We spend so much time focused on what’s to come, we forget to focus on what’s happening in the present.

It’s amazing what God is doing in our lives without us knowing. He’s shaping us, forming us and making us from dung into a rare, fossilized rock, stronger than before. He can do so much more when we slow down and let Him take the lead. “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matt 6:6, Message) He’s working abundantly in our lives.

Kasondra Reel is a senior studying nursing.