As I watched this craftsman at work, my mind was drawn to Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Shaping earth with his hands, he was building a structure from the ground up. Pun intended. It should easily last 2 years without much maintenance, depending on the amount of rain and erosion during rainy season. However, a mud structure can last considerably longer with additional treatments to the exterior.
When abandoned, the walls will deteriorate back into the earth – a perceived benefit in some African cultures where it is believed when someone dies, the home must be abandoned to get away from bad spirits there.
A measurable benefit is the high thermal mass of the mud. It’s able to keep interiors cool even in the hottest temperatures. Concrete blocks, on the other hand, allow heat to pass indoors, where it is trapped, even after outside temperatures cool at night.
The materials used are often plentiful, locally available, mostly biodegradable and virtually free. Sometimes the builder sources the building materials from the building site itself. The clay can be mixed with cow dung, medicinal herbs, straw or husks of some kind to stabilize the wall once it dries.
Like this mud, may God pick us up and shape us for His purposes!
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