Dust

Hi there, friend! Welcome back.

Okay to start off with today just to get you in the right frame of mind, take a moment and think back to the seventies. Let's don the tie-dye and love beads of our memories and meander down Memory Lane for a few moments.

Remember the song, "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas? Great! Now hum a few lines of it with me,

I close my eyes only for a moment and the moment's gone.
All my dreams pass before my eyes a curiosity.
Dust in the wind.
All they are is dust in the wind.

Hum-mmm-Hum-mmmm. And then the chorus,

Dust in the wind.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Everything is dust in the wind.

Great song, isn't it? Did it take you back for a few minutes to where you were during that time? It took me back to the smell of Coppertone, a great beach and a tan, much thinner bod. Sigh.

Oh well, so I'm standing here dust cloth in hand, looking at the layer of dust covering the top of my dresser. Sticking my finger in it I draw a smiley face to check the depth. Just as I thought, it's pretty thick. While debating whether to get out the heavy artillary; you know, the mask, goggles, and fuzzy vacuum attachment, I glimpse something of a wee faint sparkle. Could this be something cosmic or celestial? Perhaps I should leave it undisturbed. I consider the possibilites; pixie dust, star dust, diamond dust. None of which seems very likely.

Mulling over creative ideas for dealing with my dust collection that would lend itself to never having to dust again I come up with the following:

Dust Art. I could draw a few designs in it accompanied by some clever phrases. You never know. It might catch on, as women all over the world discover their hidden talents. I try out the title- Dust Artist. Interesting.

Or, how about a -

Dust garden. I could sprinkle a few marigold seeds around, mist gently, and wait for a dresser-top flower garden to spring forth. It would be lovely to wake up to each morning. I sneeze. It causes a little puff of dust to blow up into the air.

Perhaps a-

Dust village. I could draw ambling little streets and place tiny houses, trees and cars on either side, sort of like the train gardens we see at Christmas time. People could file by, in wonder, behind red velvet ropes, so as not to disturb it. But, I'm not so sure I really want all those people walking through my bedroom.

Then, the words of my sixth grade science teacher revisit me, Matter can never be created or destroyed.

Genesis 2:7 runs through my mind giving a whole new perspective to my thoughts on dust.

Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.

In that case, this very dust could be a direct connection to the original dust we were created from by the awesome hand of God, the same dust these bodies will one day return to.

There might actually be particles of the hay that lay in the manger the night Jesus was born, or a fleck of stone from the temple where He preached, maybe a tiny speck from a palm branch that was joyfully waved during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem or a molecule of dust from the cross that He died on, possibly a smidge of salt from the tears that Mary cried.

Pausing a moment longer to ponder these thoughts, and my connection to all that has gone before, I am now feeling sentimental and in awe of my dust. It begins to feel like holy dust. I sneeze a second time and realize I can't continue to collect it. It has served its purpose for today.

Thank you, Lord, for dust that has drawn my thoughts once again to You

Ever so slowly, reverently, carefully, I swipe it away, one stroke at a time revealing the shiny gleaming wood underneath. Shining and new like our Heavenly bodies will be.

Another verse comes to my mind. Psalm 103:14.
He knows our frame. He knows that we are but dust.
There is so much comfort in that verse. God knows. He knows how much we can bear and He loves us and cares for us. He knows that when these bodies return to the dust He will give us new Heavenly bodies; that will never grow old, or die, or fall prey to sickness, disease or injury. Glorious bodies that we will spend eternity in with Him by our side.

Do you know the assurance of that wonderful promise, dear one?   Do you fall asleep at night resting in the peace that comes from the knowledge that when your body crumbles back into the dust, you will already be enjoying your new immortal body in Heaven. If you do, then Praise God! If you aren't quite positive then you too can be sure before you lay your head down tonight.

It's very simple really. All you have to do is pray this prayer asking the Lord to save you.

Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus died for me, to pay my sin debt, and the best I know how, I trust Him now as my Savior. From this moment on, I will depend on Him for my salvation. Amen. 

The basis of this prayer can be found in the following scripture verses. I encourage you to look them up for yourself. They can all be found in the book of Romans.

Who is good?        Romans 3:10
Who has sinned?         "  3:23
Where sin came from  "   5:12
God's price on sin       "   6:23
Our way out                 "   5:8, 10:9, 10:13

Well, the job is finished. My dresser is gleaming, dust-free. It looks wonderful.
I look down sentimentally at the dust cloth in my hand, full of dust. Maybe I'll just tuck it away in a ziploc bag and save it for awhile.

God bless your day. I hope you enjoy every minute of it.
Dance in the dust!
Praise God!
Celebrate who you are, you beautiful, marvelous dust, you!

(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans