The Sheer Sweetness of Swirling Dust: Why I Marvel at God's Chosen Oblivion
Okay, okay, I know it sounds weird, right? Swirling dust? Sweetness? But hear me out. Lately, I've been really meditating on the concept of how God works in ways we can't always grasp, and this idea of dust—of being reduced to almost nothing—has been hitting me hard, in the best way. You know, like that quiet kind of revelation that just sits with you?
It all started a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out the garage. It's a hot mess out there, as anyone who’s ever tried to organize their own garage knows. Anyway, I pulled out a bunch of old boxes, and they were just covered in layers and layers of dust. Like, the kind of dust that makes you sneeze ten times in a row and feel like you’re breathing in history. As I was wiping it all away, I was thinking about that verse in Genesis, “For dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). It’s a verse we often hear at funerals and we always think of it in terms of death and sadness, but I had a different thought this time. What if the dust isn’t about *ending* but about being made anew?
See, in the Bible, God often uses the image of dust to talk about our humble beginnings and the sheer power He has to shape and create. Think about how He formed Adam from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). It's this incredibly powerful picture of taking something seemingly worthless and making it into something amazing. When I look at the layers of garage dust, I now think of potential. Dust has no inherent value in itself; it's just...there. But in God's hands, it can be transformed, remade, *repurposed*.
It got me thinking about a time I felt completely at a loss. Last year, my small business was failing. I mean, it felt like everything I'd poured my heart and soul into was just turning to dust. I was devastated, discouraged, and, to be honest, a little angry. I felt like I was nothing, like I had nothing to offer. It's such a vulnerable place to be. But looking back, I see that "dust" as a necessary breaking down, a stripping away of the stuff that wasn't really serving me or the plan God had for me. Like I had to be swept away, kind of, to make room for something new. And now, a year later, I've got a new business that is thriving and I'm so much more passionate about it. I really wouldn't be where I am without that time of feeling like I was nothing but dust.
I know that we’re supposed to think critically about our beliefs and examine our faith, and I try to do that. But the more I consider God's ways, the more I am willing to just trust in what He has planned for me, even the parts that don't make sense right away. And it's funny, you know, because I've also been thinking about the part of the Old Testament where God basically tells Abraham he’s going to have as many descendants as there are grains of dust on the earth (Genesis 13:16). That’s an insane amount of people! It reminds me of God’s incredible plan, his boundless possibilities. It’s such a humbling thought, to see ourselves as this dust that He uses, this swirling potential of something bigger than ourselves.
Now, every time I see dust, whether it’s on my bookshelf or swirling in a sunbeam, I think of this. It's a reminder of my place, my purpose, and the power of our Creator. I mean, it’s like God is constantly showing us, “See? Even the smallest, most insignificant thing can become something beautiful in my hands.” Even the parts that seem meaningless, like me wiping away the dusty clutter of my garage, can be a pathway to understanding something so huge and significant.
It also helps me be more patient with the messy parts of my life, because now I know that even those dusty spaces are part of the journey. I've been encouraging my kids to think this way too, to realize the "dust" moments aren't all bad. Like, when they get something wrong on a test, it's not the end of the world. It's just a chance to learn, to be reshaped, to get a new perspective. And man, if that's not grace, I don't know what is. I've also been praying more for patience and understanding, knowing that I can't always see the bigger picture when I am caught up in the dust.
So, what "dust" are you facing in your life right now? How might God be using it to create something new within you?