Dust To Dust

Is there a connection between TV and tee ball? Yes. Something called dirt. Recently, I saw part of a television show that highlighted a sad human story. A family was having a feud...within their own family! A mother and daughter were squabbling over a parcel of land. They were next door neighbors and the conflict had intensified between them. They had built a fence that separated their two estates. Neither one allowed the other to tread across their respective property lines. They weren't speaking or interacting with one another at all. As a last resort, from the prompting of other family members, they agreed to appear on a popular television show, hoping to settle the conflict and possibly make peace. Trying to get these parties to solve the conflict was a seemingly useless endeavor until the counselor brought in a wheelbarrow of dirt. He dumped the contents of the wheelbarrow right into the middle of the living room floor as he stated that this was what they were really fighting about...a big old pile of dirt. The mother was shocked into a breakthrough. She later stated that it wasn't so much the dumping of the dirt that got her attention. It was the realization that we all are truly "piles of dirt" and we treat one another that way. The tee ball connection came as I watched a little boy at the ball park sitting in the dirt and scooping up a large pile in front of him with both hands. He molded it into a circular shape about four inches high, patted it frequently and garnished it on top with a few pieces of gravel. As his mother approached him I thought, uh-oh. This little dude is in trouble. He's getting pretty dirty. His mother asked him what he was doing. He said he was making a birthday cake. Then she praised him for being so creative. Somehow I don't think there will be any fences constructed between these two if they ever decide to be neighbors. After all, it was only dirt. And so are we. It has been somewhat of a revelation to discover that I am truly an old pile of dirt...emphasis on the old! When I think about my life and how I've lived it in the past, I discover that I could have treated others better. Relating to other piles of dirt can get pretty dirty. God's word says that we will return to the dust from which we came. When I understand that my earthly, physical body will pass away, returning to the earth, I know that there is more to my life than just dust to dust. There must be some meaning beyond the here and now. The meaning of my life is found in the time between my birth and my death. For my life to have any meaning, it must be lived for some purpose. And the only way I can ever relate to others in a more godly way and a more encouraging and meaningful way is to have something of God living in me. God's word gives us a glimpse of what He has in mind. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. From one pile of dirt to another. Blessings to you.

Sam