Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Day 11<br />
And on this stone I shall build my church...<br />
Stones...<br />
I remember, as a child, scrambling over the<br />
prehistoric cliffs of Highcliffe-on-sea on the<br />
south coast. The cliffs were forever crumbling<br />
that would unearth thousands of fossils of tiny<br />
shell fish and animals. My friend and I would<br />
spend hours searching through the clay and<br />
mud in the hope of finding something that nobody<br />
had ever seen before. What an adventure<br />
that was. I also remember, scattered all<br />
over the beach were rocks and stones with<br />
amazing crystal formations. These formations<br />
had been formed by thousands of years of exposure<br />
to the sand and salty seawater leaving<br />
a multitude of sparkling colours. I used to<br />
wonder what if I could break one of these<br />
rocks open? Would it look like the precious<br />
stones in the gem shops? Could I get rich<br />
from them? The problem was how to break<br />
these stones open. Hmm. A child's mind is a<br />
wonderful place. Full of dreams and wonder...<br />
Its funny, because years later, whenever I<br />
hear the phrase "He/she is my rock" my mind<br />
wanders back to those rocks on the beach<br />
and their sheer strength. No matter how I<br />
smashed at them with my dad's hammer, I<br />
wasn't strong enough to break them. There<br />
was one lesson for life. A good rock can be<br />
relied upon to stand strong for you. How<br />
many rocks do you have in your life? Stones<br />
and rocks appear all over the place in the<br />
Bible. From the stones that bore the Ten<br />
1 Peter 2:5<br />
Commandments, the stone that David killed<br />
Goliath with, the rock that Moses struck in the<br />
desert with his staff to quench the thirst of the<br />
Israelite's, there are so many. But the most<br />
impacting passage, for me bar none, can be<br />
found in 1 Peter 2, Psalm 118: 22, Matthew<br />
21: 42, Acts 4: 11, Luke 20: 17-18, Mark 12:<br />
10, to name just a few. It is simple, "The stone<br />
that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone".<br />
The more I think about this, the<br />
more impact it has on me. The more imperfect<br />
we are, the more God wants to use us.<br />
Wow, how powerful is that? I find it really reassuring<br />
that no matter I much I feel rejected<br />
from those around me, the more God wants<br />
to use me. No matter how damaged or rough<br />
I may be, God has a purpose for me. Sometimes,<br />
it is only by getting damaged and taking<br />
the knocks can we be truly ready to be<br />
used. As I write this, I have another passage<br />
in the bible fighting to come out. It is at Mark<br />
2:17 "When Jesus heard this, he told them,<br />
"Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick<br />
people do. I have come to call not those who<br />
think they are righteous, but those who know<br />
they are sinners." These two passages, for<br />
me, have become so important in my life.<br />
Take some time, if you can, to just mull over<br />
these thoughts today. I do hope they give you<br />
the peace that I found in them. Oh yes, I<br />
never did break that rock!!<br />
| 12 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk/havefaith
Change language