Dirty Dirt

"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

The above is the Biblical account of how God created the first man. God is the ultimate gardener, humanity is the ultimate garden. It puts a smile on my face to imagine the Creator of the Universe kneeling down in the Garden of Eden, and forming humanity with His bare hands, out of the dirty dirt. So often religion attempts to distance itself from anything "dirty," and presents a sparkling facade to the world. When I read the Bible, though, I see a God who is anything but distant, anything but a facade. My God "heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalms 147:3). "He raises the poor from the dust" (1 Samuel 2:8) and "He will take pity on the weak and the needy" (Psalms 72:13). A God who sent His Son to bear the weight of our sin, to die like a wretched criminal so that we might be made whole. "For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

God loves to get His hands dirty, just like
a gardener who takes joy in breaking the soil, tending the plants, and harvesting a bountiful crop. He works directly in our imperfect, dysfunctional lives. We were all created in His image, and He continuously seeks to renew that image in us. 

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers, 

 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

(Psalm 1:1-3)

Our actions and our choices determine how we will grow. 

Each day is a new opportunity to be transformed.

 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . ."

(Romans 12:2)