Rocks and Stones

“On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.”

“‘See!’ he said to all the people. 'This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.’”
Joshua 24:25-27

Dear Friends, 

There are many random items my laundry machine has washed in the pockets of my son’s jeans over the years, but the stones and speckled rocks he’s collected make the most ruckus—a rhythmic song I must stop once I hear it playing. Each treasure he’d stuff in his pockets held a story, meaning, and importance to him, marking the moment of his day.  

For Joshua in the Bible, he knew that the weight his words and the girth each syllable held would affect the people. He knew how quickly the shinier and visually accessible gods could pull at their affections and distract them from the more solid foundation that God offered. Through Joshua, God invited commitment. God offered a pact, a promise, a covenant. To say yes to this invitation meant something. It wasn’t based on emotion or some fleeting feeling. It was based on the whole self: loving God with mind, body, heart, soul. 

God wasn’t asking for the moment. God was asking for everything. 

How many stones have I collected throughout the years I’ve walked this earth, marking the commitments and promises and life-changing moments I’ve made? Each stone bears witness and testimony to a consistency I’ve longed for—a way of being that would bring life to those around me. Each stone has been placed and built on top of a foundation that is firm, even when the stones might feel a little loose. 

Sometimes the commitment I’ve made to God feels heavy and burdensome. And in a wilderness, my commitment can seem grey and common, like a wobbly stone without identifying markers. My attention easily shifts from the common and difficult to the shiny and accessible—pulled from a firm foundation and onto shifting sand. While my commitment might feel heavy at times, it is solid and consistent. And the commitment I’ve made to God isn’t nearly as weighty as the commitment God’s made to me. 

God’s love for me, faith in me, commitment to me tells a different story more robust and gritty than any shiny object pulling at my attention. This is a good story to tell my children and build on with friends, where the stones bear witness of God’s love for all. So hand me that stone, friend, and I’ll hand one to you. We’ll build it together.

With (love),
Bethany

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15