Dust in the Wind

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life…”

“… In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” -- Genesis 3:14, 19

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. – Luke 22:31,32

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind -- Kansas

After the Fall, God enumerated the curses upon His creatures, beginning with the serpent, then Eve, and ending with Adam. Though he was the highest order of creation, the sovereign under God, Adam was, we might say, animated dust. We are dust in the wind – that is to say, dust carried by spirit. As enamored as some of us are with the claymation part of ourselves, it is merely a vehicle that will very soon pass away.

The devil, as personified by the serpent, feeds on that very aspect of our existence which is temporary and transient. If we can keep that in mind, we will see that the process, though it may be painful, is not catastrophic. Our true existence is untouched by the fangs of the serpent. As Jesus makes clear to Simon Peter, the devil is allowed only to sift us. In the end, what appears to be loss is similar to the “loss” suffered by wheat when the chaff is removed. Our authentic self is revealed, and we move into our kingdom position.