A few days ago, I was shoveling sand from the back of a trailer onto a growing pile on the ground. It was hot, and I was sweaty and tired. It was in this environment I had a profound encounter. I reached out to grab a handful of dirt from the pile, for no reason in particular, and I experienced God.
I’ll say that again.
I grabbed a handful of dirt, and experienced God.
As I held a handful of dirt, in a fleeting moment, I was completely filled with the idea that God made this dirt. The God of all creation, of holiness, of power, of beauty and infinite infiniteness made this dirt. And I was touching it. I was touching something made by the very hand of God. In that moment, I was absolutely blown away. Blown away. I was touching something, holding something made specifically by God. I was in awe.
So, at this point I’m wondering if you’re thinking, “Mac…look buddy, we all know you get excited a little too 
easily. You touched some dirt. What’s the big deal? You were a landscaper for a year and a half…and came home covered in dirt almost everyday. Why is this so different? And also…maybe if you were talking about holding a baby, a newborn human being, I’d understand the sense of wonder and awe you had going on. But dirt? It’s dirt. Please don’t become one of those nature-hippie-weirdos. You’re already weird enough.”
If you can relate to any of that, well, I don’t really blame you. If someone came up to me, holding a handful of grass, and was shouting about how they were experiencing God, how they were holding something holy and mystical and how they wanted everyone else to experience what they were experiencing…well, I’d be a little worried for them. Because it’s grass…we walk on it everyday, cows eat it, I was forced to mow it for years every Sunday. What’s the big deal? It’s grass.
But that’s just it. The dirt I held was a big deal. Because IT WAS MADE BY GOD. It was intentionally made by the hand of the Living God. If I can experience Him, feel connected to Him just by touching dirt, how much more is there to be experienced in life? Think about hugging…I have been given the gift of EMBRACING another wild member of God’s creation. That takes it from “just another hug” to a holy and divine experience. I know I claim to grasp the fact that God’s a big deal, and hence, anything He does or makes is a big deal…yet I walk through this earth without ever thinking about how amazing it is. How precious it is. How unique and special it is.
I’m beginning to realize I don’t need the Discovery Channel to put together a documentary of the most beautiful places on earth, in 3D, with Yanni music playing in the background for me to see how incredible this planet is that God has made. Nor do I need a powerful sermon, spoken by someone with a great voice to convey how powerful and how close God is.
I can just grab some dirt.
