Holy Dirt

When I was a boy with nothing on my mind but being a boy, I spent a lot of time getting dirty.  Back then there were no organized games at the rec department to keep children occupied so a good imagination went a long way.  I had one.  I could come up with a thousand things to do in play and all of them seemed to involve bringing dirt in the house at the end of the day.  When the bath water went down the drain, it was no longer clear, but a gray color which would leave a dark ring around the tub.    

My mother was a stickler for being clean.  She would check behind my ears, the back of my hands, and most assuredly make certain there were no dirt rings around my neck.  Someone must have forgotten to tell her about Psalm 24:1 which says, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it..."   She must not have known that verse, or she would not have been so concerned about her son bringing all that holy stuff in the house.    

Memories come from strange places.   As I came in the house the other evening from a day of digging around in the dirt and working on a tractor, I had enough dirt on me to bring to mind those early years as a boy.  And while washing the day's dirt off is still a good idea, it did not happen without remembering my mother and thinking about the fact that dirt, even though it is dirty, is still most holy.  Dirt passed through the hands of the Creator.  Ask any farmer around here who is harvesting crops in this season and you will know that dirt is life giving.  And ask any boy who has his mind on being a boy and he will tell you that dirt is not something to be avoided.  Actually, any of us should know these obvious truths for "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it..."   which, of course, includes an overabundance of holy dirt.