Nothing but dirt

 So I'm still thinking about gardens and especially dirt. Scripture
says.

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

From dirt we come and to dirt we remain. Most of the other dirt references are a metaphor for our sin and we must be washed clean of it. But with my gardening obsession I am more interested in dirt that grows things, so some other scriptures that apply are....

In the Parable of the Sower where there are four types of soil. The four types of soil in the Parable of the Sower aren't technically all soil. The seed the farmer scattered fell onto four different places. They are: the path (no soil), rocky ground (little soil), among thorns, and good soil.

And in Matthew 13 it talks about harvesting from good soil 
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  

In science there are four types of soil based on texture

Thinking about gardening got me thinking about the baics of gardening. The most basic is dirt but there are actually 4 types of dirt. First, there is sand which we think of as small but it is really the largest of the four types. There is silt which is closest to whatwe actually think of as dirt and there is clay. An even mix of all three of these makes the fourth type loam. Each dirt has physical and chemical properties. For instance clay particles have a slight charge which makes water cling to it. Gives new meaning to having feet of clay doesn't it?

 Some soils have high porosity. Porosity refers to little pockets in the soil that are filled with water and air. Other soils have high permeability. Permeability referes to how fast watre percolates down through the soil. When permeability is high it is difficult for plants to grab enough water to live,

Some types of soil have high porosity Porosity refers to holes in the soil tah hold air and water. Air and water are easily metaphors for the Holy Spirit and  without water a plant cannot perform photosynthesis and grow. 

Some types of soil have high permeability and some are low. Permeability refers to how fast water moves through the soil. In soils like sand it percolatees extremely quickly making it difficult for plants to find enough water

The purity of a dirt affects its permeability. The higher the purity the easier and faster water moves through the soil. There is a sweet spot for different types of plants depending upon their roots where the water stays long enough for the plant to take a drink but not long enough for the roots to rot. 

If we look at the spiritaul metaphor of this God calls us the clay. Clay is the most worn down soil but its unique properties allow it to retain water long after other soils. That means clay can retain "Living Water" much longer than other soils. Clay has low permeability water stays in our soil longer. Hallelujah.

All of these different soil characteristics are used to create soil orders that classify the different types. But God is so creative there is not jut one type of soil that grows stuff. For instance an oxisol is found in rain forests where there is an abundance of plants with massive shallow root systems . An aridisol is found in a desert where cacti and succulents drop deep tap roots in search of water and do photosynthesis at night because of the heat.

There are 12 soil orders (like 12 tribes)

Some are young and immature some are older and have endured alot of erosion.

Isn't it a relief that we don't have to be alike to grow where we are planted? And no matter what stage of life we are in we can grow and be productive. But what happens when we grow the wrong plant in a soil? Erosion, the soil that was created by thousands of years of erosion is worn out just like that.

So if we are soil how is it formed? There are three steps

1.     Erosion

2.     Hardening

3.     Combination
   

Several factors affect these steps:

Parent material This is the stone that the soil erodes from some rocks are much harder than others stones.For instance, metamorphic rock which is formed by rocks being metamorphisized by heat and pressure and are very hard; whereas, most sedimentary rocks are much softer. The parent material will become the basis of a new soil. It will affect the soil's color, texture and mineral content. What is your spiritual parent material?

Climate is  a factor. Wind and changes in temperature cause a faster rate or erosion. Weather can also affect the flora and fauna, which also have an impact on the rate of erosion. Microorganims are especially important because they are critical to plant health. The more plants and animals a soil order supports the faster that soil develops. What is your spiritual climate how fast are you maturing? Eroding?

Topography also effects soil formation This includes formations like hills, valleys and plateaus. Some features increase erosion and mineral deposition Where do you find yourself spiritually in the high places or deep in the valeey?

Time is the final factor. Some scientists are worried about potable water and others about climate change but soil erosion and loss should  probably be of greater concern.

So what does this mean to us?

1.) Where we comes from matters. Some of us have family backgrounds that were impossibly hard, some were raised in the church, but God continues to evolve us no matter where we come from.

2.) Where we are matters.Do we put ourselves in bad situations or do we plant ourselves in places that feed our soils? One erodes our spirits the other restores it.

3.) Different soils bring different harvests. We must let God use us based on where we are in our development otherwise its all erosion.

4.) God's scale of time and ours are different. PBPGIFWMY so Please Be Patient God Isn't Finished With Me Yet - thank goodness.