Anyone who has ever had a kid or even been around a kid knows there is something that comes with every child. With each cute face, baby cuddle, and little precious “coo” comes another experience, poopie diapers. In the first six weeks of fatherhood, I have been spit up on (or into my mouth), pooped on (even over all the walls and carpet), and directly peed on. No matter what I have tried to do to prevent these moments from happening, they never seem to stop.

Each time, there are two responses I can choose. Often, the first instinct is to get frustrated. The other, and often more difficult, is to simply laugh and smile with the little man.

With each mess comes one more thing, a beautiful big smile from my son. He doesn’t care that there is a mess on the floor, in my face, or all over him. Instead of choosing to cry or get upset, he simply laughs with a great big smile.

“Poopie” moments like these don’t only seem to happen with little babies, but also with life in general.  These are the moments when a friend turns his or her back on you, you and your spouse get into a hurtful argument, or you get unexpected news that rocks your world.

How we respond to these moments can also be a reflection of our faith and trust in God. Part of me believes Jacob, my son, simply laughs the situation off because he knows dad is there. He knows I will clean him up and put him back together even cleaner than he was before. We have a God who seems to act in the same way with us, but only better.

One of my favorite stories is that of Joseph (See Genesis chapters 37-50). In this story he is betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a well, and sold as a slave. As if that was not enough, he is then later unfairly put in prison. Joseph quickly went from being his father’s favored child to a very, very “poopie” situation.

However, there is so much God does in this story. Joseph ends up being a high ruler in Egypt. He is then able to save his family from a terrible famine and is reunited with his father Jacob. The story is full of “poopie” situations that God took and turned around to make them something amazing!

Upon reflecting on all that happened, Joseph 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.” Genesis 50:20, NLT

When the poop flies our way in life, it is important to remember stories like these. When everything seems to be a mess, we have an opportunity to act in one of two ways. The first choice is to get frustrated and mad. The other choice is to simply smile and laugh like a little child. We can smile and laugh knowing we have a Heavenly Father looking out for our good.