At the Crossroads Church of Christ in Pennsylvania, on the top floor of the church building is a pile of rocks surrounding a cross. These rocks started with just a few from a couple of our teens. After every youth event, rally, camp, or just a one-on-one Bible study, I would have each of the teens grab a stone of any shape or size and write down on the stone their feelings and thoughts that were going through their heads at that point in time. That was two years ago, and right now there is a pile about 4 feet wide and 3 feet high of rocks that symbolize where we have been and where we want to go. Looking back to the things that were milestones in our lives is always a great way of making it to our future with God.
When we read the book of Joshua, we read of many stories that get us excited about our God and his people. One story that has helped me over the years is the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 3-4. Years before, so many of their ancestors had crossed through a sea and now these descendants get to pass through a river. How amazing!
“The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 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. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
Joshua 3:17-4:7
I look back to this story and it helps me to remember to make myself a memorial for every time that God has helped me through a struggle, or brought me through a trying time, or just one of those YEAH GOD moments that you have. It is important to remember those times, because you will need them during the hard times of life. If you are already doing something like this, great, if not, I challenge you to start today and grab you a rock for each moment that God changes your life.
God’s blessings!
Jason
