By Nancy J. Farrier

What did you think when you read that title? The first thing most people think is someone is getting buried. Six-feet-deep is synonymous with burial. Why is that?

There are several reasons. Most agree that the term dates back to the 1600’s when outbreaks of plague were misunderstood. People who died were buried six feet deep in a vain attempt to stop the disease. They didn’t understand the plague was spread by fleas and rats. There are a few other reasons for burying a body deep, but I want to look at this term another way.

A few years ago, my daughter wrote a song that we sang during worship in our church. I still find myself singing the chorus and thinking about the words and their meaning. Here is the chorus:

Bury me in Your love,

Six feet deep,

Drive me to Your core,

No release,

Bring me to the center of You

Lost in love.

©2014 Ardra Farrier

The tune is catchy and stays with you. But, why do the words six-feet-deep mean so much to me? Below, are my four reasons.

• As I mentioned earlier, six feet deep is synonymous with death. My greatest desire is to die to self and to live for Christ. So far, I have yet to achieve that goal, but I am trying every day to be less of me and more of Him.
• That six-foot depth was a place of safety. Wild animals wouldn’t dig that deep. Grave robbers were less likely to steal a body from a deep grave. Likewise, I need a place of safety as a Christian. A shallow faith, or a lukewarm belief affords no protection. I want to buried so deep in God and His word that I am protected completely.
• It was thought that a grave should fit the man. The average height at the time was about six feet, so that made sense for the depth of graves. I may not be that tall, but I want to fit completely into salvation. I don’t want a hand or leg left out. lol I want every part of me to belong to Jesus. I want to be buried deep in His love.
• Bodies were buried deep to prevent the spread of disease. In our modern culture, with the knowledge we have, we understand how disease spreads and that a deep grave didn’t prevent plague. From my Christian perspective, the spread of disease is the opposite of the thinking of those in the 1600’s. When I am buried deep in Christ, I am not the one spreading disease, but I’m protected from false teachings, harm and temptations that might lead me away from where I should be.

While thinking about being buried might be morbid, the comparisons work for me. Maybe another time, I’ll think about being Lost in love and see where that leads. As long as I’m buried in His love, I won’t mind being lost in the love of Christ.