Have Faith - October Edition

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