During my commute this morning, I shuffled into the subway car along with what seemed like a billion other people, busily hurrying, each to his or her own destination. As the train rattled by, we all stood there, sandwiched in against each other, making new friends (at least I think so), and miraculously coming up with more room as the doors opened to let on another billion at each stop. (During rush hour in New York City, the unspoken (and probably not agreed upon) motto is ‘there’s always room for one more!’)

The stop before your own is always the most intense as you eagerly anticipate exiting and having enough room to take a deep breath (only to join the billion, like cattle, merging towards the subway exit). After weaseling my way out of the car, along with “the billion” accompanying me, the train whizzed by hurriedly as I slowly inched toward the exit on the platform.

I say all of this just to say that God can (and often does) speak to me and draw my attention to things during this seemingly monotonous morning commute. This morning, however, it wasn’t the usual mirror showing me my impatience, my intolerance, or my self-centeredness. It wasn’t even that usual reminder that I get that “God loves ALL these BILLION PEOPLE and MORE!” Not even that tug I sometimes feel on my heart when I am surrounded by “the billion” “Lord, how many of these people know You.”

Today I watched as the train pulled off and thought ‘here one moment, gone the next.’  That thought was immediately followed by the thought ‘so are you.’

I looked back over at “the billion”(now inching their way up the escalator) and thought “What is man that You are mindful of Him?!” (Psalm 8:4; Psalm 144:3)

No seriously. What, not even who, what are we???  

One of life’s most asked questions…. And the Bible gives us the answer. The Bible tells us that we are ‘but dust’.

Things Christians say 

Things I say but have I really thought about it? Have I pondered the fact that I am dust. That thing you shake off your shoes because you don’t want it in your house. That thing you sweep up and throw into the trash can. That thing you wipe off your blinds and your ceiling fan. It soils your hands and clothes, makes you dirty and unclean, makes you sneeze! That… THAT is DUST.

We are ‘but dust’ yet God doesn’t want to get rid of us and sweep us away and into the trash, He wants to have us around Him. He cherishes us so much so that He holds us in His arms. (Psalm 68:19, Isaiah 40:11)

Imagine you went to someone’s house and it was full of dust and they just had it surrounding them, pouring out of their cupboards and closets. They took that dust and held it up in their arms every day, holding it close to their heart and showing it constant affection and protection…..You’d think they were crazy!

That’s the crazy way that God loves us!

He knows that we are dust, He formed us from the dust! (Genesis 2:7) Yet He loves us, chases after us and holds on to us despite ourselves. He gives us, dust, the gift and privilege of being called His children! He takes us from that lowly state, which we are, and molds us, forms us, breathes life into us and lives within us to make us more than what we are, to make us His.

For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
    as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.. (Psalm 103:14-17)

The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.

I can get so caught up in my commute. My work. My time. My issues. I am caught up on these things yet I am here one moment and gone the next…. meanwhile, the Eternal God is caught up on ME.  His thoughts about me are more than I can count!

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
 If I would count them, they are more than the sand…. (Psalm 139:17)

Life is fleeting, God is eternal.

Through the monotony of every day, through every up and down, every sun set and sunrise, He remains the same. His love for us is something I can’t get my head around. How can God Almighty love dust? Love dust so much that He would give up His son so that this dust could live with Him for eternity?

Lord, remembering that I am dust puts things back into perspective. It reminds me of what I really am, who You are, and who You’ve made me to be. Remind me always that Your great love takes me from being fleeting dust to being eternally Yours.