Dirt
And humility
Lent is just around the corner, the 40 Day season of reflection preceding Easter in the Christian calendar. As Christians, if we choose to follow the “liturgical calendar”we’re just closing out the Feast Season of Christmas.
On Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of Lent, we are starkly reminded “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” The church calendar helps us remember by observing seasons, both penitent seasons and festival seasons, like Easter, celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection.
As soon as springlike temperatures arrive, I’m ready to get my hands in the dirt.
Blustery February in the South, with winter winds in the shade but summer sunlight beckons.
My industrious young neighbors, after finishing the interior touches on their gorgeous handmade home, turned their youthful efforts toward creating the footprint of a large garden. With eight raised beds, arched trellises for growing viney vegetables and a concrete, two tiered fountain, I could easily picture it in full bloom.
They even got a good start on early seedlings, by using grow lights rigged up in their first building, a metal barn once their living quarters, now an office/garage/guest house and green house! We were impressed and newly energized for at least a couple of hours!
Cilantro, onions, and asparagus, tomatoes, peppers and basil. Brett’s even tryed out some tobacco! With all that bounty, there’s sure to be an overflow!
Inspired by their vision, I found myself pursuing rows of starter tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs at the local garden center, dreaming of fresh summer salads. My salad greens may have actually survived the few days of freezing, we’ll see. Chuck picked up some native Texan okra seedlings at a roadside stand, a must have for every Texan!
But I know I need to first start with the most basic element, before I get to the fun part.
Dirt.
Humus is composed of decayed leaves and plants, added to the soil, it becomes much richer and life giving. Most forests have layers of natural mulch from undisturbed old leaves, in all stages of decomposition. The word “humus”originates from the same Latin root that we also derive the word “humility”.
It takes humility to remember our own mortality. We are humbled by the idea that we, too, will die. Thankfully, Jesus has removed death’s sting for believing Christians.
On Ash Wednesday, Christians may chose to be symbolically marked as one of God’s own, with ashes in the sign of the cross. Lent traditionally is a time of recall the 40 days of Jesus temptation spent fasting and praying in the wilderness. We can also follow Him by imitating these holy practices.
It was the prelude to His life changing ministry and a time to draw nearer with faith.
For me, Lent is a season to turn away from seeking constant satisfaction from the “hungers of the flesh”. Less and more simple food, less noise from entertainment, less complaining and more gratitude, more silence, more prayer.
That’s a tall order, but there’s a reward in just a few weeks.
My bare winter garden is a good place to start. It’s a cold outside, and old, dead vines still linger. Discarded pots and plastic covers are strewn about. Fire ants and weeds have overtaken the asparagus patch.
The raised beds are crying out for some supplemental humus mixed with last year’s tired dirt to really flourish along with warmer temperatures and some gentle rain. Or, in my case, hand watering. There is plenty of work to do before the reward of green shoots breaking ground.
Time seems suspended when I’m out on a sunny morning, with my hands in the dirt. I guess that’s the way our Creator felt when he formed his perfect garden and named it Eden.
And I can also see why He decided to create Adam and Eve, to keep him company, and to tend that perfect garden!
For every one up North, you’ll be laughing and harvesting big beautiful tomatoes while we’re suffering in the Saharan desert down here.
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