“The horse leaves his dung in the stable and, although it is dirty and stinking, he himself carries it with great effort to the field, from which then sprouts good wheat and noble and sweet wine, which would never grow if it were not for the dung. So, carry with effort and diligence your dung—that is, those weaknesses that you cannot discard or overcome—into the field of God’s loving will with a serene attitude. Undoubtedly, a delicious fruit will grow from it in humble serenity.” (John Tauler)
Our Father does not abandon us to despair when, despite our sincere efforts, we fail to overcome the weaknesses of all kinds that we still carry within us. What does God do in His wisdom? First of all, He looks upon us with love, and that love is always an invitation to turn to Him and trust Him—again and again, again and again! God’s patience is immeasurable.
Then, we understand that our Father can even make use of our weaknesses. They remind us of our limitation and our creatureliness; they keep us humble, preventing us from feeling superior to others, and they always refer us to God’s mercy. From this grows a delicious and tasty fruit, as John Tauler describes so illustratively with his simple example. If we ask ourselves what that fruit is, the answer is humility, love, and gratitude for God’s goodness.
Our Father knows how to lead us to the goal because He knows everything in us and is able to profit from everything—even our dung.