Get Through the Poop!”
Many years ago, I watched The Shawshank Redemption, and although it wasn’t a true story, there was something deeply spiritual about it. As I reflect on my own life, I can’t help but think about Andy — the man who used a small rock hammer to dig his way out of prison after serving nineteen years for a crime he didn’t commit.
But it didn’t stop there.
See, Andy didn’t just break through the wall — he had to crawl through 500 yards of poop to get to his freedom.
That hit me.
Life is not always fair. But if we take what we have — even if it’s small — and stay consistent, we can dig our way out. Andy got up every day, repeated the same routine, and kept digging when it looked impossible. He didn’t know what day would be his last in that cell, but he kept at it.
Maybe you’re there right now.
Maybe you’re digging your way out of debt.
Maybe your business failed because of someone else’s mismanagement.
Maybe you’ve given your all to your children, and now they’ve had to move back home.
Maybe you’re starting over from nothing after someone else’s bad choices left you empty.
Maybe every day feels like another dig through disappointment.
But like Andy — you’ve got to get through the poop.
King David was already anointed king, yet he was hiding in caves, dodging Saul’s javelins, and running from 3,000 soldiers who wanted him dead. That’s some poop! But even there, God was with him.
You may feel like you’re crawling through the mess of your life, but God says, keep digging. He’s with you in the crawl space. He’s with you in the dark tunnel. He’s with you while you’re paying off debt one dollar at a time or rebuilding your credit one point at a time.
Be faithful over the little rock hammer God placed in your hand.
I remember my own “Shawshank” season. I was coming out of a bad financial situation after my divorce. I wanted to buy property, but I had a Saturn Vue SUV — the worst decision ever, though not really my fault. Those cars had faulty transmissions. GM knew it, dropped the line, and filed bankruptcy before we could file for redemption.
I’ll never forget — I was driving one day when my transmission gave out in the middle of the road with an 18-wheeler behind me. God’s hand spared my life. Others had died or become paralyzed from those same faulty transmissions. But I was still here.
That was poop.
The Lakin Law Firm later stated that GM knew about the defects but didn’t fix them. We never received a dime in compensation. Meanwhile, I still owed on the car note — and after my third transmission replacement, I was done.
But I also knew if I let them repossess it, it would ruin my credit — and that would delay my dream of owning property. So I prayed and decided to keep digging.
I called the finance company and offered half of what I owed — about $5,000 — and they marked it “paid in full.” My loan officer later told me that in twenty-seven years, he had never seen anyone get that kind of favor.
God gave me mercy in the middle of the mess.
I crawled through the poop — and came out with my credit intact, my faith stronger, and my freedom on the other side.
So today, I’m telling you — face your fears, start over if you have to, and don’t quit now. Freedom is waiting on the other side of what you’re willing to crawl through.
Keep digging. Keep believing. Keep moving.
Because even if it’s messy — God can still bring you out clean.