Rocks from the Riverbed

“When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Choose twelve men from among the people…and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan…and put them at the place where you stay tonight.’  So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed… and said to them, ‘Each of you is to take up a stone…to serve as a sign among you.  In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord…these stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.’”  Joshua 4:1-7

From the riverbed of my life,

I will pluck stones,

A stone of gratitude for my very existence,

A stone for His redeeming love,

A stone representing His guiding hand,

A stone for his sustaining grace.

A stone for comfort in sadness,

A stone for times of great joy,

A stone for all of His good gifts,

A stone because He himself is The Rock.

When my family gathers next time, they may find a pile of rocks as a centerpiece in the middle of the dining room table.  There may be some whispering to each other as they try to determine if Mom has finally lost her marbles or become as dumb as a box of rocks.

But surely one of the little ones will say, “Uhhh….Grandma….what is that pile of rocks doing on your table!?”

And I will talk to them about Joshua and the twelve men and say, “These are rocks from the riverbed of my life.  They represent the times when God held back the flood of danger or evil which could have swept me away.  I want you to know that He is the Rock on which I stand.”