The Gift of Dirt

When we made the move from an agrarian culture to a more urban one, we moved away from an awareness that there is something special about land.   Around here it is often said that land is valuable because no one is making any more of it.  And while there may be some truth in the saying, it is also true that its value is measured by the way it takes hold the heart  and because of the reality that every inch of it has creative power which surely points toward the Creator God through whose hands it has passed.   

It often seems that we are in some kind of great race to cover all the existing dirt with concrete, asphalt, and buildings.  If we think of any ground being holy, it is the ground upon which worship places have been built.  To think seriously about every inch of ground being holy would require such a radical change in the way we live on the land, take care of it, and think of the Creator.  We give lip service to the truth behind the Word which says, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it..."  (Psalm 24:1), but the reality is that we live as if it belongs to us.   

The earth upon which we walk and the air which we breathe is such a precious gift given to all of us.  It is life giving.  Without the power within the dirt beneath our feet, life as we know it would soon end.  It not only nurtures our bodies, but to become aware of it around us nurtures our soul.  The story in the front end of Genesis reminds us that we were created to live in a relationship with the Creator and the creation.  As we fail to affirm these important connections, something essential comes up missing in our living.