Dirt

We are having a new driveway poured at the house. Not that I wanted to pay for a new driveway, but the old one was breaking into large slabs that were slowly migrating away from each other. The old railroad tie landscaping that was supporting the drive was beginning to rot, so everything was slowly sliding downhill. Each winter the gaps got bigger and there is one hole that can knock your front end out of alignment if you don't dodge it! So, it is time for a new driveway.

In order to save some money I decided to remove all the old landscaping and shrubbery myself. My father-in-law came over with his bucket tractor and he and I spent seven hours on Monday digging out railroad ties and hauling them up the hill. By the end of that seven hours I was hurting.

It started when I was trying to pry two railroad ties apart with a steel wrecking bar. The wood gave way and I hit myself under the chin with the steel bar. I heard bells ringing and was dizzy for a moment. My chin hurts still. Then one of the railroad ties fell out of the bucket and landed on my foot. Then my father-in-law lowered the bucket while I was under it and hit me in the head. Not to count all the scrapes, sore muscles and sunburn.

When we finally quit, I went in to take a shower. My clothes were covered with mud, inside and out. (While we were digging up a timber, a root snapped throwing up a shower of dirt that rained down on my head, filling the top of my hat and raining down into my bib overalls! Now THAT was comfortable the rest of the day!)

Yesterday we were at it again. Finishing the landscape removal, I decided to take down a couple of trees that needed to be removed. Yesterday was another nine hours of bumps, bruises, bleeding and aching.

Last night Dorrie was starting a load of laundry and looked at my clothes for the past two days. She was impressed at the amount of mud I had brought into her laundry basket! It truly was a dirty, physical job.

This morning I rolled out of bed and it hurt. It hurt to walk. My knees were stiff. My arms were stiff. My back was stiff. I realize today how out of shape I am. But when I looked outside at all the work I accomplished, it feels great!

Now the old junk is gone and they can begin building a retaining wall that will hold my new driveway in place. Something solid. Something bigger and better. Something that will last.

Most of us are working to become something new. Something solid. Something bigger and better. Something that will last. But we all have some old junk that needs to be removed before we can start building. And removing that junk takes work.

James says, "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

He is talking about removing all that is rotten, shifting and is an unstable foundation. But to do this takes work. Removing old habits will take some digging. Removing selfish desire will take a bucket tractor! During the process you may get beat up a little, you may get dirty and you will probably will ache from the exertion. But then when you see all the work you have accomplished, you will feel great!