Decorated Dust

“All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” Ecclesiastes 3:20

In just five months, I’ll be half a century old. And something strange happens when you start closing in on that milestone—you begin to feel time differently. It’s not that life suddenly feels bleak or that I’m panicking about birthdays; it’s just that the clock ticks a little louder. You notice the lines in the mirror that weren’t there before, the old football injuries that ache when it rains, and the way conversations with your parents shift from What’s next? to How are you feeling?

You start thinking about how short life really is.

Solomon understood that feeling long before we ever could. “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” He’s not trying to depress us—he’s trying to wake us up. He’s reminding us that beneath our job titles, trophies, social media posts, and gym routines, we’re all made of the same thing: dust. Some of us just decorate it better.

And yet, this truth isn’t meant to diminish us—it’s meant to dignify us. Because the miracle of our existence isn’t that we’re dust, but that God breathed into it. We are animated dirt, filled with divine breath. Every sunrise, every heartbeat, every laugh that echoes through the kitchen is borrowed air from a generous God.

That means even the most ordinary day is sacred. The hum of the coffee maker, the text from a friend, the drive home after a long day—each moment is a reminder that dust is still dancing because of grace.

One day, my body will return to the same soil that grew the trees in my backyard. But my soul—breathed by God—will return to Him. That’s not something to fear. It’s something to build your life around.

So while I still have time—and you still have time—let’s make peace with the dust. Let’s decorate it not with ego or accomplishment, but with gratitude and faith. Because every bit of beauty we add down here will one day be gathered up and redeemed up there.

Reflection:

• How does remembering that life is short change what you prioritize?

• In what ways can you “decorate your dust” with gratitude and eternal purpose today?



Jimmy Carter

Groups and Cares Pastor