Dirt

Dirt is everywhere. I can't get away from it. 16 days in a tent with 300 guys. Guys who really do not "feel" the need for cleanliness. Something is starting to smell.

I have always teased my wife about the differences between dirt and dirty dirt. At this present time I do push-ups and sits ups out side in the dirt every day. Mostly that dirt does not scare me. I welcome it. I find myself looking forward to it, it is natural, a part of nature. I am a part of the created order. The scriptures declare that God formed me from the dirt of the earth. I like that.

There is, however, a different kind of dirt. There is a darker colored dirt in our tent. A dirt that gets mixed with the human condition. I am becoming more and more aware of the influence of this tainted dirt. I have a growing agitation as I circle around my cramped and dirty little space. I am aware of it but unable to control my exposure to this unwelcome mess.

Illness has run rampant though the tent. In the last 3 days 50 guys have reported to sick-call. I have what they have. Sick-call seems silly at this point. I know the prescription. Suck it up and drive on.

I can not control many aspects of my physical environment. I have no choice about where I will lay my head tonight. But that is not the end of the story. I am increasingly becoming aware of the subtle way that I do control certain parts of my environment. There is a sense in which I know that I am an agent of change. I have the ability to affect my environment positively or negatively. I cannot control what happens to me in life but I do control how I choose to respond.

I am sowing seeds in this soil. I am adding to the environment around me every day and I am determined to make a positive impact for Christ. When I am sucked into the temptation to look at all that is going wrong around me I feel depressed. When I remember the promises of God, the hope that I have and his faithfulness I feel uplifted, lighter and brighter. In my darkest times He shines brightest.

Living life in a way that reminds us of our connection to the human condition involves risk. We have to be willing to accept being dirty, really dirty. They are watching. The world is looking at us. Everyday is an opportunity.