"Dirt"

The Book says when this started,

The Lord God took some dirt,

And formed Himself a person,

To glorify His worth.

Forming Adam this way,

Made him kin to all the earth,

Said take care of this garden,

And all creation’s birth.

From earthy roots in Carolina,

To the sod of Alabam,

Prairies in the heart of Texas,

Or no matter where I am,

It’s the dirt that I appreciate,

It always feels so close,

And all who went before me,

Felt a kinship there the most.

Before we had the concrete,

Or the asphalt on the roads,

Before there was technology,

And wagons pulled the loads.

Dirt gave them food from garden plots,

Fed the stock that gave them meat,

Filled the back yard well with water,

Grew flowers and honeysuckle sweet.

The wood they chopped that warmed them,

Came from trees the earth produced,

Fat lighter got fires started,

And ne’er the woods reduced.

It was dirt that they defended,

Whene’er there was a threat,

Hearth and home to them was precious,

And they will protect it yet.

And I’ve traveled all across the world,

And from the learned earned degrees,

But a finer sight I never saw,

Than the country, if you please.

I love sunshine’s light upon it,

And the fog, rainbow and snow,

Let me make my living from it,

I can feel it, don’t you know.

The cycles, seasons, rhythms,

Of creation’s grand old song,

Let me know that I’m her cousin,

And I’m right to sing along.

And when my journey’s ended,

And my soul flies to God’s best,

They’ll lay down my body,

In the dirt, its place to rest.

Kin to red dirt and gravel,

And that old, black prairie sod,

But even more important,

Born again, a child of God.

“For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.” (Psalm 103:14, NLT)

The Psalmist gives us perspective about our lives. God remembers that we are only dust! What can you expect from dust, right? Yet God breathes His supernatural life into us and lifts us into heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We live to magnify Him, not ourselves. We are given the blessings of this earth, yet our destiny is heaven. God knows how to help us make sense of it all.

Lord, help us honor You on earth and in heaven, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Herman Walker, used by permission. Thanks, Herman, and God bless you.