"Are You Stirring Something Up?" - Part 1 - Stirring The Poop

Last night I walked into a room and a friend said, "Are you stirring things up again?" I actually get that a lot... though I'm not sure why. I began thinking about what it means to stir something up. Three things immediately came to mind. I will deal with them in three devotionals. Now, I will warn you... part of this is going to be gross, even if it is worth it. (You've been warned.)

Everyone is stirring something. The question is... "What are you stirring up?"

Stirring The Poop. Yep... that's gross. But it is also likely effective. You can walk by a pile of dog poop that has been there for a couple of days and not smell it. But if you grab a stick and start messing around with it, the aroma starts to rise into your nostrils. Apparently, if you leave it alone, a crust forms around the mess and locks in the majority of the odor. But when you break that crust, all sorts of foul things are released.

Some people spend their time stirring poop. Then they wonder why their life stinks. Now honestly, stirring poop is interesting, and even funny if you are a kid... okay... even if you are an adult. There is something about stirring poop that draws certain types of people in to watch or even participate. I know this because I have seen kids do it in the yard, and I've seen adults do it in social media. Some people actually seem to like it, while others like to prod them on into more poop-stirring.

There seems to be no lack of opportunity or passion to stir up the poop in our culture. Some people should be professional poop-stirrers. Interestingly enough, I've found that the same people who like to stir poop in other people's lives do not like for other people to stir poop in their life. Hmmm... imagine that.

One of the proverbs in the Bible says, "A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire. A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends." (Proverbs 16:27-28)

When it says 'a worthless man digs up evil', it means to bore into. Think about a kid taking a stick and finding a pile of fresh cow poop in the field. He pokes it, then he starts to bore out a hole. Nasty, right?!? Well, there we are. Think about how the media goes after people. If it bleeds, it leads. And if it causes a stink they post the link. 

God says it is a worthless person who digs up evil on other people. Usually this happens when there has been conflict or hurt. But the words of a person who stirs poop do not bring healing. They are like a scorching fire, burning others. It is perverted to spread strife. We call it drama today. I don't care what you call it... it is sick. It is perverted. 

We have no business stirring up strife or conflict, or anger, or any such thing. Granted, you can't help it if you accidentally step into poop, but you can determine that you won't be known as one who plays in it or tries to get it on other people. 

Here's the challenge for today... do not stir up poop. Can you handle that? Because God is watching, and what you may not know is that when you stir up poop in someone else's life, you may very well be stirring up wrath in God. 

[Bible quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]
 
Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

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