Red Dirt

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

The name Adam literally means “red earth” or “red dirt.” This might lead one to believe Paradise was actually located somewhere around here where I live because we have certainly got the stuff. Our local Red River does not have its name for nothing. Certain other aspects of paradise may have slipped away over time, of course, but the red clay on which my lawn struggles to eke out a living is still with us, apparently, from creation days.

What is the difference between me and the red mud that clings to my boots for dear life on a rainy day? The breath of God—and that is about it.

It is so helpful for us to remember we are but dust. Dirt is, well, dirty. I again want to give thanks for it. All of my food either has its roots in it or chews on that which does. Dirt forms the ground upon which I stand, upon which my house stands, upon which the road lies that leads to everywhere I go and do and live. Thank God for dirt.

But after all is said in its praise, we sweep it up off our floors, wash it off our children’s hands, wipe it off the surface of everything in our homes, and washing-machine it out of our clothes. We don’t even want it on our cars! All sorts of nasty things live in the dirt, like bugs and worms and germs and bacterial infections waiting to jump on us and devour us from the inside out. Most folks, to one degree or another, have some sort of love-hate relationship with dirt. We appreciate its gift to mankind, but when it is all said and done, dirt has got to know its place, and that is in the backyard, on the baseball field, beneath the grass, and on the back roads, out of town.

That is the stuff from which we are made. We are but dust. Add a little water, a little wind blowing in and out, a little cellular fire, and presto, you have a clay-formed man who walks, eats, and thinks. Take away the wind-water-and-fire, and, as Kansas put it, all we are is dust in the wind.

This should certainly keep us humble, of course. But it should also lead us to wonder at the mysterious and marvelous ways of God. For this is what He always does: He takes what is lowly and exalts it, redeems what is “worthless” and gives it glory, takes what is worse than dead and gives it life.

Defiled by sin, we have covered ourselves with earthiness, dirtiness—even our best efforts are but filthy rags. God adds the water of baptism, breathes in us the Spirit-Wind of God, sets tongues of fire to dancing on our heads, and presto once again, you have a damned and dirty sinner transformed into an immortal saint, clothed in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness. Men of clay, yes; but with the touch of God—and the touch of God alone—we are fashioned over again into the most glorious masterpiece of all creation, made in the image of God Himself, “red dirt” become living and eternal souls in the Second Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Father in heaven, Creator of mankind and all the world, we give You thanks for creating us and for forming us from the dust of the ground. Help us to remember our humble beginnings, forgive us our sins for Christ’s sake, and mold us and fashion us and make us new in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”