It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it

It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it

We are coming off a wonderfully mild October that you did notice.

“Ah,” we sigh, especially as we remember this past weekend.

Here at the start of November 2022, lawn mowers and lawn rakes are about to be put away. (Or they should be put away soon?)

Green Thumb people, gardeners, and landscapers mourn at this. Though I love the snow, I represent those just mentioned. We grieve this time of year because of the therapeutic benefits of spending time in the dirt.

But being dirty all of the time? Even the most ardent of us dirt lovers who envisions the upcoming T-day dinner with clean hands would answer, “Ah, probably not.”

Yet Jesus uses dirt in a parable. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the One who will spend time with God in the garden shares how a farmer’s seeds fall in four different soils. The first seed falls along the path. Birds quickly feast on this great, healthy snack. The second seed falls on rocky places. The crop pops up quickly in the dirt that is there, but, because the soil is not plentiful, the young plants scorch and wither because they have no good roots. The third seed falls among thorns. They do grow, but are choked by their aggressive competitors.

The fourth seed falls on good soil. Think of Jack and his beanstalk here. Plants in this soil just grow and grow. And grow. 

The emphasis in this parable could be on the dirt itself, not on the one who sows.

A reason this parable is in the three synoptic gospels is because it is relatable to so many, especially when we consider the many, many agrarian cultures of the past, including the one Jesus is speaking to at the time. Farming really was a thing!

My kids and I spent time on an immense farm recently. Fulltime farming is still a thing. It is a good, vital, spiritual, life-loving thing.

Even if you have not recently spent time on a farm, the imagery in this parable is successful because we get it. We are the soil.

It may take us a moment or two to think about it, but we can identify what kind of soil we are. Of the four soil types listed, maybe you identify as one of the three in poor condition.

If so, honesty is always a good starting point.

The title of this column is a pun, of course. Most (or many?) of us aren’t thrilled about doing a dirty job because dirty jobs are obviously messy, often challenging, and usually undesirable. But if our connected life to the Word of God is in poor shape, we do not have to stay this way.

We can do the job of change.

This brings me back to the point I just made. Honesty is a good starting point. How is the Word of God planted in us? What type of soil are we?

And all of us know soil can change. Maybe the Word of God fell upon you and grew deeply and well. Maybe this growth continues.

Maybe this growth has changed.

Maybe you’ve noticed (or are hiding) that this growth has stopped.

Here’s where I want to bring Green Thumb people, gardeners and landscapers back into the conversation. I do so because they will agree with me when I say that good soil takes work.

Even the most devout of us has had—or is currently having—a rough patch. Maybe there is a struggle. Maybe there is a disconnect. Maybe it’s a time when it feels like nothing is growing. Maybe hearing the word “faith” today makes something inside feel dried up, choked out, or barren.

This isn’t an end. It’s an opportunity. What is going on? What happened?

I know a man in his seventies who was devout for many, many seasons. Caring, kind, hardworking and talented, he served God by serving others faithfully.

Then he stopped.

This happened to another man in his late forties. After his three daughters graduated from high school, moved on, and stopped being active members in the youth program of their booming urban area church, his connection to God no longer grew.

I am not picking on these guys! I mention them because for an afternoon, a month, or a season (or a dozen or more seasons), our soil changes.

That same soil can change back.

It just takes work. Specifically, it takes the honesty with yourself I mentioned. What is happening? What hurts? This isn’t directed just to the two mentioned. This is for all of us.

Next, have a conversation with God where you’re not doing all of the talking. Be in the place where you hear God talk back. You know God is talking when you hear and feel love, peace, and a direction that deep down feels right.

I have never had my soil tested. I mean this literally. I have never shipped a scoop of soil from the backyard off to a lab to have it tested. I have learned in writing this column that soil can be tested for contaminants, fertility, nutrient levels, PH levels and more.

Test your soil. No scoop or lab is needed. It’s not a dirty job to get better dirt in which to grow.

Just talk to—and listen to—God.