On Being Dirt

Clay is dirt…minerals and dirt.

According to Genesis Chapter 1, we are dirt too.

So, you could say, we have a great deal in common with pottery. We’re both dirt.
Being dirt makes us special. Dirt, when used as clay is special. It is used to fashion pottery and art. The Bible talks about it distinctly in Isaiah 64:8, “we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.”

There are days when being the clay is easy. I sit back and observe life around me and allow God to show me His love in nature and in others. There are days when it’s not so easy too. There are times when every movement, every moment is a struggle. The difficult situations, tired relationships, and the general day to day activities wear me out.

I think there must be times that it’s difficult for the Creator to mold me too. Times when my brain just won’t wrap around the concept of suffering or injustice, those must be challenging moments when the clay that is me, just won’t bend.

What do potters do when the clay is tough to work with? They add water. (Anyone who reads my blog with some regularity knows how much I talk about water!) It sustains life, it heals life and it is used so many places in the Bible that we understand it to be a powerful symbol used by our God.

The very molecular makeup of water reflects the Trinity—there are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in one molecule of water. Water binds with every element that allows binding and it fastens itself in all directions—much like our God.

I can tell when I’ve not had enough water to drink during the day. I get cranky or move slow, sometimes I get a headache. We all wilt without water. I can also tell when I’ve not had enough God during the day too.

Adding water to clay to make it more malleable makes sense on a science level. But it also makes sense on a theological level. Whenever we allow God to permeate our being, we allow the Potter to add water and make us more flexible. We learn to bend, twist, shape and move. Whether it’s through reading the Word of God in the Bible, taking in nature, dealing with rude people in traffic or experiencing the pain of suffering, those occurrences are opportunities to be molded the way the Potter wants. Sometimes the tough work of being molded yields the best results.

My job is to stop resisting the rough parts of life, so the Potter can do His work.