1 Corinthians 1:27-28a – But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things. (NIV)

While walking my dog this morning, I noticed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of earthworms scattered all over the street. This is a common sight when heavy rains force these little creatures out of their water-filled burrows to seek oxygen. Most people will wrinkle up their noses in disgust as they try to avoid stepping onto the slimy-looking little carcasses.

But I am not like most people, because I felt sorry for them. As I saw one moving, I picked it up and placed it on the nearest lawn, hoping that it might have the strength to wriggle into the soft earth and carry out the purpose for which it was made: to aerate the earth. Then the vital water of life would be able to reach the new seedlings and nurture them as they grow into strong, useful vegetation.

You might wonder why I would bother to take the time to do this. The simple fact is that I believe that God has a plan for every creature that He has created, even the lowly earthworm, to fulfil His purposes. As simplistic as my thinking might seem to most people, I have to admire these tiny bits of God's creation, for they are there for us.

Were it not for the process of erosion, of which earthworms form a part, our earth would be a hard, dry ball, into which water and the roots of growing plants would not be able to penetrate. With no green vegetation, there would be no fresh supply of oxygen to sustain life, and our earth would become a desert. Earthworms give their lives that our planet might live, as vital links in the chain of life.

Suddenly, I was reminded of another sacrifice.

Over two thousand years ago, many people looked with disgust upon the bleeding form of a man stumbling and crawling over the earth with a cross on His shoulders. "Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3b NIV). He, too, gave His life that we might live. Were it not for His willingness to carry out God's plan and purpose, despite the cost, our hearts would remain as hard and useless as dry clods of earth, and would eventually become deserts, producing nothing.

Prayer: Father, help us to see Your hand in the smallest, seemingly insignificant things of life that happen to us every day. So often, You speak in a still, small voice, and we are too busy to notice or hear Your whisper, while You are telling us that the place where we are standing is holy ground. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Y. Greer <sygreer11@gmail.com>
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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