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What do these stones mean?

I know some people who cringe at retreats or away days when stones or candles are used to help reflection.  The thought of holding a stone in their hand and thinking deep thoughts just doesn’t resonate with them and they will connect with God in other ways; thankfully, we are all made differently.  For myself I am a very tactile person and really struggle when visiting a stately home when it says on furniture, ‘do not touch’. I want to feel the fabric, run my hand along the wood, experience the cold of the marble.  These things help to connect me with the people of the past, what they felt and experienced, for me it is another way of finding a window into what was.

In the Lectio 365 app on Monday, Pete Grieg was referencing Joshua 4 and the crossing of the Jordan and then building of the stones at Gilgal.  The verse that struck me was when your children in the future ask, ‘What do these stones mean? tell them.’ (Josh 4:21-22).  God told the people of Israel to make a very physical reminder of his goodness to them.  A bold pile of stones which would remain there for generations.  A simple way to engage in the story of what God had done.

I wonder what physical reminders do you have of God’s faithfulness to you?

Perhaps it is time to seek them out and reflect again at God’s goodness over the years and perhaps re-tell the story.

I have a stone (yes, a stone) which has key words written on it of who I believe God has said I am.  It sits in our hallway for me to recall regularly who God has called me to be.

The stones in the picture I have shared are a memory of my son-in-law’s sabbatical a few years ago.  The pile was created at the end of their time away for a month as a family.  Each one of the family placed a stone on the pile to recall what had been a good thing for them in that month.  This picture hangs in their kitchen as a regular reminder of God’s blessing over them.

If you haven’t been in the habit of having physical reminders of what God has done in your life, this might be something to consider and choose to engage with God in a new way.

This thought this week was written by our EBA Regional Minister team leader, Beth Powney