Receive and Transform
Be soil, not a sponge
“Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. “
Why dirt? By the sixth day of creation when God turns to create mankind, there were plenty of other materials that man could have been made from. Beautiful marble, deep mahogany, sweet smelling cedar, or polished granite all might’ve made a better and stronger man than messy and crumbling dirt. Other religions claim man was made from driftwood found by the gods, or the sacrificed body of a divine being, or the blood of a defeated king, or even just a spark of life in the heavens.
But God chose dirt. I can’t claim to know the mind of God, but I do think the composition of man can instruct us about our shared beginning and end, as well as guide us in our purpose in the present. The past and future of dirt is pretty obvious, but when we realize the present purpose of our earthly bodies it should change how we live.
When God scooped the dust of the earth to form Adam, that soil contained every man and woman who would ever live. In his hands God held every race, every tribe, and every tongue in a pile of soil. Our past as dirt reminds us that we are all equal and all have value as made by God. Likewise the words of Genesis remind us of our future when God says we will return to the ground from where we came as “dust to dust.” Throughout history man has gone through elaborate rituals to stave off the effects of death and decay. But the end result of every king and peasant is return to the soil they were formed from.
Soil transforms what it receives and makes life. Soil is not passive, but active in that it contains elements and minerals that change whatever is immersed in it. Something encased in rock or ice might be preserved, but soil changes things. When you bury a seed, the soil actively gives the elements it takes to that seed to help it grow. Soil transforms what it takes in, using water and elements to help an oak tree grow. Even decades after the seed is planted and the tree is established, the soil continues to serve the tree by holding what it needs for growth.
Soil changes things. God made us out of soil to remind us of our past and future, but also to remind us that we should transform what we take in for the good of others around us.
Today it’s much easier to act as a sponge rather than soil. We are constantly taking in from the world around us, news, memes, content, music, and more. But when a sponge takes something in it doesn’t do anything with it. All that happens when a sponge takes in water is that it will be wrung out later. But the water is no different, for better or for worse. Soil takes in water and uses that to change what is inside of it.
All of us are constantly taking in the world around us. But are we using those things we take in to change anything? Are our lives or our families any different because of what we take in? If not we are nothing more than sponges, happy to absorb what the world gives us. But if we remember that we are soil, then we can take something in and use it help grow ourselves and others.
The quality of soil is dictated by what it takes in. Soil contaminated by dangerous chemicals cannot produce a healthy tree, no matter how many seeds are planted. In the same way, soil filled with things empty of life like plastic or metal will not produce anything healthy. Soil often takes in things that provide no benefit and not help it transform what is planted. Likewise, hearts and minds that take in the foolish and empty things of the world will never grow anything healthy. Hearts filled with the poison of lust, greed, and hate will only be able to produce the same in return.
But hearts that are “set on the things above” will be transformed by what they take in, and then will transform others in their lives. Sponges soak it in but offer no transformation, and contaminated soil can only produce more death. But hearts and minds filled with the things of God transform what it takes in and produces something beautiful. This is what soil is supposed to do, to be active and working in the world, transforming what it takes in and bringing beauty and life.
Dust to dust. God made us to be soil not sponges. As soil we have a past from where we came, and a future to where these bodies will return. But we also have the present, the chance to take things and transform them, and see growth. The resurrection of Christ is a reminder that the power of God can take something weak and frail like a man and make something eternal from him. If even a frail man can take in the basic elements and transform them, how much more so when we take in the things of God? Someday these earthly bodies of dust will be transformed to be eternal, and finally free from the weaknesses of earth. Soil takes in and transforms, and the heart that receives Christ will someday be gloriously changed for good.