4. Humility & Haste: Be like soil
Discernment and how men are like soil and deserts
Is it just me, or do we hear the word humility far more often than the word haste?
In my last piece, Stewardship of Capital, I referenced Proverbs 21:5 and how the plans of the diligent lead to advantage, but those who are hasty come to poverty.
Humility or being humble comes from the Latin word humilis, ‘low, lowly’, from humus, ‘ground’.
I find it interesting that the scriptures tell us how we came from the ground, and how we will return there.
"By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."
— Genesis 3:19
Men are like soil and deserts
Nature is fascinating. Men often reflect the soil or the desert in many different ways.
Soil is living, filled with living organisms like insects, fungi, bacteria, worms, and organic matter.
Dirt is completely dead. It has no minerals, nutrients, or living organisms.
The desert is actually soil as well. While the desert looks like dirt, it is filled with living organisms.
Crusts, like those in the desert, cover all soil spaces that are not occupied by green plants. (This is key to reducing erosion, increasing water retention, and increasing soil fertility.
As men, it can be easy to harden and be like a desert. Where we cut ourselves off and hide our hearts. Inside, we are filled with life and the ability love, but our exterior says otherwise. God wants to repair our hearts.
As men, we put on a brave face, but no man can compare to the hardness of a desert, and no man should leave themselves damaged for most of their life!
We are not here to debate whether soil or desert is more valuable to our planet, but my point is, desert soil isn’t the perfect planting medium due to its sensativity. It also lacks the organic matter needed to plant.
Good soil is incredible because it is nutrient rich. It is a perfect planting medium. Be like rich soil.
How does this relate to haste and humility?
God wants to soften our hearts and give us a new spirit.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
Through humility, we will find abundance and life in Christ. God wants to enrich our hearts with Christ's love and make us a fountain of his beauty on this earth.
Soil is filled with the nutrients needed for growth and life. God wants to plant seeds in our lives, and it starts with him giving his son, Jesus. We have a place in heaven because Jesus planted the seed that is his life.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 12:24
Lastly…
Haste will cause a man much trouble. Humility will cause a man to retrospectively look inward to the Holy Spirit and how Christ has impacted his life.
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. - Proverbs 29:20
Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you? Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another, Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away. Proverbs 25:8-10
Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
Humility through Christ
To conclude, as men, if we harden our hearts and do not open ourselves to Christ, we put ourselves at risk of living in haste and reacting to life based on our circumstances. With every day we subject ourselves to studying the life of Christ and giving our heart to him, we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
I hope this made a connection for you. May we soften our hearts to Christ, become like rich soil, and allow the fruits of the spirit to shine in our lives.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23