Have you ever taken note of our posture during life’s most intense experiences? Childbirth. Death. Breakthrough. Profound joy. In each, our senses flood and we instinctively drop low, as if reaching for the ground.
Back to our roots.
Then God formed mankind of dirt from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. – Genesis 2:7
Dirt. The ground. Our roots. Reminders of our humanity.
There is beauty and weakness in humanity. But we tend to hide the latter as if the cracks don’t exist.
The Hebrew word ‘afar’, in this case translated as ‘dirt’, is also used in Genesis 18:27 as a metaphor for humility.
Humanity and humility. Fitting.
While our tendency may be to hide the cracks, acknowledging them is key towards finding lasting strength. For, there is FREEDOM in admitting that we cannot, should not, rely solely on ourselves. That we were never supposed to handle everything (or everyone) on our own.
Do you see the beauty? During life’s most intense experiences we instinctively drop to a posture that allows us to remember and receive.
Out of the ground springs forth living water.
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart. – John 7:38
Sustenance from a source deeper and richer than ourselves.
Remember your humanity.
Reach for the ground in humility.
Receive sustenance from the One who knows you better than you know yourself.
As a mom, therapist, and speaker, I tend to focus on equipping people to reach for the sky. That’s good! Great even.
But, oh, what riches might be unearthed if we expended even a fraction of our energy equipping people to reach for the ground.
Laura