Today, as my first book is launched, I am reflecting on one of the most important traits of serving others through love: Humility. I am feeling so humbled by all that God has done in my life. Truly thankful for how my life had been restored after 21 years of domestic abuse.

I love to feel the soil outside in my yard, the humus. The Latin words humus, soil or earth, and homo, human being, have a common derivation, just as the word humble. In Genesis 2:7, it says: “Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

The Lesson of Humus

Dust of the ground, humus is what the God used to make me. The best humus is rich soil, which is a careful combination of dirt and other matter. Humus is humble. Humus helps the flowers in my flower beds grow from seeds to beautiful blossoms, giving delight to all. And how helpful humus is to the new growth in my husband’s garden. Humus generously and willingly serves to give us food for our table, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and sweet potatoes to name a few. I hope to be like humus and willingly serve others.

Nothing is Wasted

With soil, nothing is wasted. Good humus comes from garbage mixed with the dirt and allowed to decay over time. When I am living up to my best as a human being, for example, publishing the book God gave me to write, I am functioning like humus, giving of myself for others.

In life, nothing is wasted. Everything that I have endured has prepare me for service to others through love. Writing my book was a humbling, but healing experience. The sharing of my life experiences and pain from my abusive marriage hopefully enriches my readers and gives them hope. A rich soil that feeds the seeds of life my readers have inside, helping them grow and bloom as God intended.

I am Humus

In summary, God has used all of my experiences, good and bad, to equip me to serve others through love. To paraphrase Genesis 3:19: “For humus I am and to humus I shall return.” Death is very democratic. The proud, the pompous, the famous, the wealthy, the wise, as well the lowly, the foolish, the unsung. Everyone ends up the same way, we are all equal in death, and we all wind up as humus, food for plants and worms. And the cycle continues. That is indeed both humbling and humorous. As the wealthy and powerful author of Ecclesiastes reminds me in chapter 12: 5, 7:…Because mortals go to their lasting home…And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it. Blessings…