Earthiness

I can't go too far into anything without mentioning the influence of my mentor Brad Chittenden. I first met Brad when I was around the age of 10, shortly after my parents divorced. God used the divorce to lead my mom back to Himself and to church. There is much I can say about how God was moving in my life at this time, but one of the key things was that He was placing godly men in my life to love, instruct and give an example to me.

In steps Brother Brad. Brad was an ordained pastor without a church to shepherd. What this meant for our church was that any time our pastor was sick or on vacation or had some other reason that he was unable to preach, Brad (and others) would step in. The first time I heard one of his sermons, I was instantly drawn to him. I'm not sure if it was because of his simplicity or his clarity or just the gentle warmth that seemed to exude from him, but I liked him and I wanted to be like him.

There's much more to the story and much more that can be said about Brad. He is chiefly responsible for saving me from a life of pride in my intelligence. He instilled in me my love and desire for balance. He helped form things in me that I didn't even understand at the time. The limited time that I was able to spend with him (we lived over an hour apart) had a far greater impact than I can begin to tell in a single blog post.

What I would like to focus on for the remainder of this post is a quality in Brad that I have often marveled at. It is a quality that I hope to emulate, one in which I have always seen Jesus. It is a quality that I have no better name for than "earthiness."

Earthiness is similar to humility. It certainly includes the idea of being "down to earth." An earthy person is approachable and kind, someone who genuinely listens to you, no matter your place in life. They show no partiality toward those who are rich or "wise" or anyone else. They associate with the lowly and downtrodden.

Earthy people are not stupid, but they speak simply and with gentleness. Their knowledge is not their master, but a servant, a means to loving God and others better. They are wise and give wisdom where it is warranted. They love to help others because they love seeing others do well.

An earthy man or woman is aware of their weaknesses and Christ's infinite strength. They are not afraid to take on any task to which God calls them, but will not go forward into anything in their own strength. Obviously though, they're not perfect, and you never feel that they are. They're real people through and through, made of bone, flesh and spirit.

And they always remind of you of Jesus, because you see glimpses of him in their eyes and actions. This, of course, is because Jesus was the earthiest man who ever lived. He was the realest man who ever lived. In Him the fulness of God dwelled, but Christ was exactly as much a man as He was God. Their was a genuineness to him that baffles our understanding.

Perhaps it seems counterintuitive to hold up such an ideal and call it "earthy." Shouldn't it amaze us that Jesus was heavenly and divine? Yes, and earthy people have an unmistakable touch of heaven to them. But the great mystery of the incarnation is that one who existed in holiness and glory for endless ages would step into the constraints of time and not only act as a man, but really be one.

And when that God-man touches men and women, revives their soul and gives them eternal life, they don't become cerebral or esoteric. Though their mind turns to heaven, they don't walk with their head in the clouds. They don't become worldly or ascetic. They don't feel fake or hollow. They're don't become grandiose or gaudy. Nor do they become inaccessible or cryptic.

They become earthy.