I’ve had the opportunity to work on a lot of different kinds
of projects in my professional career, but one of the most interesting has been
this landfill gas project. Edgecombe County Government, my employer, now has
this pretty cool contraption that takes landfill gas and turns it into
electricity. This is how it works. Trash is piled up at the landfill and
covered up with dirt. Then more trash on top of that and more dirt. Over and
over until you’ve got this mountain of trash and dirt. As the trash decays, it
produces gas, methane gas to be more specific. It’s the same gas you produce
(if you know what I mean). Well that gas is flammable (I know you’ve seen it in
the movies, but don’t go and test it out on your own). Vent pipes are put all
over the landfill, they’re all connected to a huge vacuum, and the gas is
sucked to a central location. That gas is then used as the fuel to run two huge
engines that turn generators which produce electricity. And it’s a lot of
electricity; enough to power several neighborhoods for years. And you’re
thinking “Amazing!”. I know, right! It’s taking that stinky, offensive gas that
normally would float up to the atmosphere and damage our ozone layer, and
turning it into power.
Let me switch gears on you for a second. The other day someone
said something hurtful to me. I don’t know if they meant to hurt me with the
comment, but it hurt nonetheless. What was shaping up to be a good day, all of
a sudden got pretty gloomy. I kept churning that comment over and over in my
head, and that lead to other negative thoughts, and it put me on a short path
to a pity party. But God brought that landfill gas project to mind. He used it to
remind me that I can take that stinky, offensive comment that would normally
eat away at my attitude, and instead turn it into power. And that is what I
did.
Joseph in the Old Testament was beaten by his jealous
brothers, thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. Later he spent time in
prison over a false accusation. Yet still he rose to second in command in all
of Egypt. Eventually his brothers would have to come to Egypt to survive a
famine. And do you know what Joseph said when he saw his brothers again? In
Genesis 50:20 he said “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for
good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
With God’s help, you and I can do like Joseph and take those stinky, offensive
things people say and do to us and turned it into power. Not just the power to
live through what happens to us, but also the power to forgive for what happens
to us.
So when that stinky stuff comes your way, lean on God and say to yourself "I've got the power"!
