‘Banure’ Happens To Good People!

TheDiscipleMD

I remember traveling with my family cross-country to visit my Grandpa’s  farm in Idaho  as a young child.  One memory I related about one trip was captured in an audio tape made by my parents. On the tape I related that I had stepped in some “banure.” In fact, as a kid, I recall that it seemed that you couldn’t go anywhere on the farm without the danger of stepping in “banure.” “Banure” was my childish way of saying “manure.” I’m no farmer, but from the little experience that I had as a child, and some since, I would say that no matter how careful you are in trying not to step in ‘banure’ on a farm, in time, you will! If it isn’t cow “banure” it will be horse. If not horse, it will be chicken or pig.

As a kid I saw no use for “banure.” Everything about it was repulsive or “bad.” It wasn’t until later on that I learned that, while “banure” wasn’t something that I wanted to step in, it had its “redeeming” qualities.

“Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients…that are trapped by bacteria in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web…Animal dung has been used for centuries as a fertilizer for farming, as it improves the soil structure..It also contains some nitrogen and other nutrients itself which assist the growth of plants.” (Wikopedia).

The reality of farm life is that “banure” happens, and more often than not you are going to be stepping into it. It’s unavoidable! Yet, as horrible as that fact is, it is equally as important to know that “banure” is an important ingredient in the development and growth of plant life, which in turn feeds animal life. Which ultimately feeds the farmer and his family.

In our lives, “banure also happens!” It is a fact of life! No one that is living, or who has lived, or who will ever live, will escape stepping in it. It is unpleasant when it happens! We try to avoid it. When it does, we are not happy. It leaves us feeling unclean, or dirty! No one would volunteer to walk in it, yet it is necessary for the “growth” of our spiritual souls. When “banure” happens, it provides us with spiritual growth opportunities. It is a “fertilizer” to our spirits.  Orson F. Whitney once said:

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. … All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” (“More Than Conquerors through Him that Loved Him”, April GC, 2011).

Our Father in Heaven sent us here, on the “farm” to educate us; to teach us. It is a “proving” ground where “banure happens” on a regular basis. It is part of the plan! As we travel through life we all try to avoid pain and sorrow. It is human nature to do so. Thus, the Lord, in his wisdom, has created an imperfect world where we can learn from both the good and the bad. Hard lessons are taught in this life. Some can seem overwhelming! However, the next time we are faced with a challenge, let us remember the “redeeming” growth that comes with it. May we remember the comforting words of the Lord found in the scriptures:

“…peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes… God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost…” (D&C 121: 7-8, 26).

This “knowledge” that comes from the spirit, is directly tied into the “challenges” that we face in this life. “Banure Happens” to good people! But with it can come redeeming “growth” if we choose to use it so in our lives.

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