Getting Dirty for the Lord

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop”—Luke 8:15 (NIV).

 As a child, I loved playing in the dirt. I still do.

One spring day, I was working in my flower beds doing some major overhauling—removing dead plants and pulling weeds—when a neighbor came home from work. He hollered across the street at me, “What are you doing?”

Sitting in the dirt because my knees were hurting, I yelled back, “I’m making mud pies. Do you want one?”

Laughing, he replied, “Are you reliving your childhood?”

“Yes,” I said and continued getting my hands deep into the soil. I love the feel of the cool dirt on my skin. Most of the time, you won’t find me wearing gardening gloves.

When other neighbors, who are out walking their dogs, see me pulling weeds or planting flowers, they often comment, “You sure are working hard.”

For me, it’s not work but a joy to spend that time enjoying God’s wonders. You never know what you will unearth when you turn over a spade of dirt—a chubby white grub or a slimy brown fishing worm.

I recall a friend, who had been on vacation—not away from home but from a busy time at work. She’d spent her days off, not on a sandy beach somewhere, but digging in the dirt and praying.

She said, “It’s amazing how much clutter we build up in our hearts and minds over days, weeks and even years of working and living. Digging in the dirt reminds me of how basic we really are.”

Her insight made me realize why working in the soil is healing. Like most humans, we seek our creature comforts. We worry too much about what we are going to eat, how we are going to pay the bills, and how we can afford the desires of our hearts.

But when we spend time working the soil, pulling out the weeds, planting seeds and watering our plants, we’re also feeding and nurturing our spiritual selves.

I recall a time when I was going through some difficult situations. I spent many hours in my flower beds. Although my thoughts were troubled when I first struck the dry dirt with my shovel, my heart, my mind and my spirit refused to remain in turmoil with each weed that was removed and with each flower that was tenderly rooted into the ground.

Like the flowers that grow in our gardens, we can nurture our spiritual selves, or we can let the weeds of despair choke out life’s joys. We have an option to mature through spiritual growth, but like the plants in our garden, we must feed and water our soul if we want to produce fruit.

Producing fruit requires time and patience. But the results are worth the effort—even if we get our hands dirty in the process.

Are you getting your hands dirty for the Lord? Feed your mind, heart and spirit. Spread your roots and bloom.