I found the below picture on Pinterest and 1) loved it because it was cool and beautiful and all that, and 2) was inspired to write a blog post!
First, notice the hands. I think of them as God’s hands, hands that are firm but gentle, dirty and callused from work yet beautiful.
And they’re cradling dirt.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground…
Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
God’s hands are cradling us! We–with these helpless bodies formed from the ground, bodies that will one day return to the ground–are held by the very hands that shaped us in the first place!
Then there’s the tree growing from the pile of dirt.
Trees are a sign of life, a symbol of strength and growth. The Bible compares those who believe in Christ to trees and speaks of being rooted in love/Christ.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:8 (KJV)
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith…
Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 2:7 (KJV)
We’re the dirt and tree. There’s life, strength, growth–all that painful, beautiful stuff–springing from the humble and broken.
But more than that. . . God’s hands are cradling us, holding the dirt and tree, loving us. And the result and the feeling I get from that is oh so breath-taking, eye-filling, throat-clogging, heart-touching-and-thrilling.
What are your thoughts? 🙂