Soul Scientist

Genesis 2:7 ESV Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person

I’m frequently asked the question, “why did you choose soil science?.” The person who asked the question is expecting a quick and dirty response of something like “because it’s fascinating”, “I’m a farm girl”, “it’s helpful to people”, or such. But since I’ve got a little time here, I’ll give you my answer from the ground up.

Looking back over the past 36 years I’ve been actively involved in soil science, soils are still delightfully fascinating to me, helpful to others, and many more good things discovered with each soil sample and piece of data collected. Yet along the way, I’ve learned that soil science consistently and continually returns me to what’s really important – my relationship with my Good God.

It blows my mind and brings me to my knees that the very thing I love studying and teaching about – soil – is the very thing from which all of us were formed. That Creator God would stoop down, pick up, and shape man from that same resource He previously spoke into being (see Genesis 1:9). Soil – that same resource He uses to feed us, clean our water, nourish our wildlife, provide us with medicines and minerals, and so very much more. It overwhelms me in that personal intimacy of Almighty God touching, forming, and breathing life into that on which we walk, build, and plant every day. Isn’t that such a gorgeous picture of giving and of grace?

This picture of our Good God forming Adam from soil often fills my head and heart while I’m teaching my students the beauty and responsibility of our role as the caretakers of creation from the soil to the stars. And even more importantly, the implications of that picture propel me to proclaim the power, position, peace, permanence, and Presence of God at work in the soil of our souls for the bigger purpose of eternity. To me, each soil sample I dig, process, analyze, or teach about is an opportunity for worship. Worship, not of creation or created, but worship of my Jesus Who loved me enough to choose to become dust, return to dust, and rise again from dust to forever claim me as His very own righteousness (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). For He alone is the One Who has everything under His feet, including the soil under our feet and in our souls (see Ephesians 1:22). Don’t those truths make you want to pray and proclaim the majesty of our Good God while digging, planting, building, or discovering the more of soil science?

Thank you to the Affiliation of Christian Geologists (ACG) for giving me the opportunity to dig a little deeper in the why for me with soil science in your 2024 Annual Newsletter. Thank you to the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) for connecting me with ACG and many other great folks in your organization. But most of all, thank You to my Good God, for giving me a deep love in the soil of my soul for You and Your creation.

If you’d like to know more about ACG or ASA, please use the contact me page to start a conversation. I’d be honored to hear from you! If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll do my best to find it out for you. (Trust me, there’s a whole lot of things I don’t know but isn’t it wonderful that our Good God knows everything all the time!)

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2024.