God's dirt

Genesis 2:7

...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 creature.

The other night I was laying in bed fitfully trying to sleep when I had this daydream (night dream?)... which led to this poem:

We are God’s dirt.
though tough to say
and tougher still to make a way
for these clay hearts to hear this truth…
We are God’s dirt.

drawn from the ground to which we’ll go
with a Masters care but not much to show
We are God’s dirt.

but that’s not all there is to me
though oftentimes it’s hard to see
the touch of life,
a breath divine,
a hidden power,
a holy sign
of more…
than can be seen with eyes
not measured by might, nor power, nor size
the unexplainable Potters hand…
We are God’s dirt.

two ingredients no more different found
– one from the heavens the other the ground
one simply dust the other life
– together a vessel of hope and strife
yet He, as only He can do,
gathers the dust and shapes it true
and breaths His very life within…
We are God’s dirt.

so from this dirt Lord, I now pray
that You would breathe and make a way
for life to move beyond this shell
to rescue those from the brink of hell
to conquer sin and break down gates
to restore the life and lift the weights
to make a way with simple dirt
to heal this earth of all this hurt…
We are Your dirt.

so move this dust with the force of breath
that breaks the bonds of life and death
and changes all we see and know
as hope and love begin to grow
like flowers planted in faith for spring…
We are Your dirt.

Timothy Mark McDonald