My oldest son Jack has a business and he has recruited his brothers to help. They think they invented mud. They mix water and dirt, and they make mud balls. They call them mud cakes. They think they are great. They think they could sell these mud cakes for several dollars each from the side of the road. For my three sons, this is a business that cannot fail.

Their grandma and grandpa said they would buy several mud cakes, if only they lived closer to us. So now the boys believe they have a market for their mud. We have an established mud ball factory behind our home. They also employ friends to make mud cakes. We don’t pay them anything. The payment is in the process (getting to play in mud). 

So somehow Jack has a business with $0 in sales, $0 in expenses, but a profit that can’t be matched. Community. He’s taking after his mother, who started “cookie chats” a couple years ago (we have parents and children over to our house for cookies and community every week). 

He is also taking after his father, running a business with $0 that eventually fails. No wait! Lets use a different example. He’s like his father, because he’s running a non-profit organization, working hard, and getting his hands dirty! There, a much better comparison.

Jesus states in Matthew 18:3, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. 

Does this mean we are meant to play in the mud? Maybe. Does it mean we should place value on mud? Kind of. Does it mean we should sell mud cakes at local the farmer’s market? Nope, probably not.

Jesus touched dirt twice. Many more times than that, but at least twice that are mentioned in scripture. In one instance he heals a blind man. He spits in the dirt, makes his own “mud balls”, and “anoints the mans eyes”. Then he tells him to go wash in the “pool of siloam”. The man went and washed and came back seeing.

Imagine being there in that moment. How bizarre. The emotions that man must have felt. From possible anger “Who is this stranger rubbing spit and dirt onto my face?” To pure elation. 

If the value were in the mud, that man would have used his entire savings on one of Jack’s mud cakes. Mud cake prices may have spiked in Bethsaida after Jesus rubbed that mans eyes and he was healed. If it were the mud that healed the blind man, crunchy moms everywhere would be replacing their sourdough starter with essential oil-infused mineral mud. We know intuitively it wasn’t the mud though, don’t we? 

From an interview with John Piper: “Jesus could have simply spoken, and the man’s eyes would have been opened. But most of the wonders of God in the Old Testament were brought about by the use of human means. ‘The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord’ (Proverbs 21:31). God is decisive in the victory, but he uses means. He doesn’t need the horse, but he uses the horse.”

I’m reminded of the story of Gideon. Gideon, chosen by God, led a small army of 300 men against the Midianites. Armed with trumpets and torches hidden in jars, and no weapons, they created confusion among the Midianite forces, leading to their defeat.

I’m also reminded of Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth. 

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

He uses the weak. He chooses the underdog. He does whatever he wants with human means, to bring glory to God.

What are we called to do? How are we meant to walk like Jesus concerning these things? In "The Three Success Secrets of Shamgar" by Ted E. L. Williams writes “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” The book draws on the story of Shamgar in the book of Judges. Shamgar was a judge of Israel and known for defeating the Philistines with an ox goad. I don’t even know what an ox goad is but I know that it’s impressive to defeat the Philistines with one. Move over David, your slingshot was a real weapon, let's talk more about Shamgar in children’s stories!

The take away is - we can begin walking and worshiping in our current situation. Every effort can have a significant purpose when we surrender it to God. Tia uses cookie chats in Prescott, Arizona. Gideon used a tiny army and Shamgar used an Ox Goad in ancient Israel. If we might become like the little children, capitalizing on a moment with our friends in the mud, we might find value on the dirt which we are standing today.

Go. Start. Use. Do. 

Abide.