When You Dig Yourself a Hole…
We had a breakthrough today…literally.
I spent the morning with Miller today digging the biggest hole I’ve ever seen made by human hands. I mean, its huge. It’s the kind of hole my elementary school self would have been proud of.
Apparently he’s been working on it with some other friends for quite some time. When I arrived on the scene it was already down to about 10 feet. We had a pulley system with a bucket to bail to dirt out…the whole schebang. A hand dug well…that’s a first for a city-boy like me.
We both took turns picking and shoveling ourselves further and further into God’s good earth. The only air moving around down thereis the kind you make…and believe me, you’d rather the still air to that. :) While Miller and I shoveled, hauled, and conversed, I allowed myself to feel God’s presence in the absolutely mundane. There is nothing glorious about what was happening there this morning, and yet, stilling my heart was probably the best thing that could have happened to me today.
Every time I work with Miller out on his land, I get a whiff of God’s dream for humankind. Humans are to work with their hands; to labor and sweat to produce something beautiful. We’ve moved away from the ways in which God intended. I mean, most of my profession as a student is just sitting in a chair facing forward, poking away at plastic bits and watching lights flash on a screen. I never feel more satisfied than when I look back on a day I’ve poured work and sweat into, and seen the results.
As our time out on his land was nearing an end (it was STANKIN’ HOT!), we hit water! It was no powerful geyser, but it was a definite trickle. Praise God! He works in the small, and unimpressive to demonstrate his incredible, everlasting love. The deep satisfaction on Miller’s face was priceless. It was all worth it now.
Last 5 posts by Mark
- Brain Dump - October 8th, 2008
- God is Wholly - October 2nd, 2008
August 13th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I know what you mean Mark. Last weekend I helped my brother cut firewood in the mountain forest near Laramie. It was good to work hard, smell God, Hear God whisper by, and see God in the little things you don’t see when your cranking along at 60 mph.
August 15th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
That’s so true. God made us to work, especially with our hands doing manly stuff. This was painfully and very very slowly driven home when I was an accountant for a year and a half (no offense to any accounting people out there. You’re great people!). My only relief came from moving heavy boxes and running 10’s of thousands of papers through this crude, nasty ‘ol shredder (which I eventually broke) while listening to angry, yet wholesome heavy metal really loud.