My "Pile of Stones"

This morning at church Pastor Scott delivered a message that really hit home. And I wanted to write it down so I would "remember" (especially since my plan it to make this blog into a book each year that can be out on our coffee table).

So that was the focus of this morning's message..."Remember!" The bulk of the lesson was from Joshua 4 where God wants the Israelites to put out 12 stones (one from each tribe of Israel) to commemorate their crossing of the River Jordan. God parted so they could cross, and He didn't want them to forget (which you assume would be a "duh, there is no way to forget that HUGE event" moment). God also tells them that the stones will cause their children to ask what they are for. That is a really important factor, considering when God parted the Red Sea for them before, they didn't pass on the amazing things God had done to their next generations...instead they modeled grumbling and complaining as they were wandering. They quickly forgot!

We see this so much in our world. We see it as politicians fall in and out of favor...sports stars, Hollywood stars are on top then forgotten. Clothes go in and out and electronics...It is what we love in the moment...our focus/must haves. But what was so big is quickly forgotten. The one hit wonders and the old MP3 players are a thing of yesterday.

It is our nature, we get fixed on something, then it is gone. How sad is that, that we do it with our Great God! When a national disaster hits or an attack on our country hits, we remember Him. When sickness strikes, we remember the One who can heal. We turn to Him. He carries us then we move on. I know you do it; I do it.

With that in mind, I wanted to put out a little pile of stones today. I have had many moments that I need to remember God's faithfulness, power and miraculous intervention. I want to give Him the glory, lest, in my pride, I might somehow try to take the credit. All is a gift of grace! Jesus has bestowed favor due to no amount of my good works. In fact, He bestows grace despite my sin and inability to accomplish any good works apart from His strength.

Here are some of the things I want to share with my future generation should they ask about my "pile of stones"
~God rescued me from a life of hopelessness and despair when I learned that He sent His Son to die on the cross for my sins. He demonstrated His love toward me. Rom 5:8
~God rescued me again in high school as I was slipping into a life where my flesh ruled and I looked for security, acceptance and worth in whatever boy I was dating. I learned that my worth is in Him and He has made me perfect in His sight.
~God graced me with a wonderful husband who also understood what it was like to be rescued from sin and despair and who loved me as Christ loves the church, willing even to give his life for me.
~God, in His wisdom, closed the door to the business that we had planned to buy. At the time we didn't understand. Looking back, we see how God protected us and opened the door to a wonderful life in the NW
~God answered my years of prayer to be a mommy when, after 4 years, He gave us Isaac (then Abigail). He used the timing of our children to bring a dear friend into my life that I wouldn't otherwise have known.
~God allowed us to adopt 3 children as embryos who will forever be part of our family, though we never got to hear their hearts beat or hear their first cry. (This is also a reminder to speak of God's faithfulness and goodness in situations where we still don't understand the "why"...yet cling to "Who"...Jesus Christ).
~God is still providing for us daily. It still blows us away that, in a time where my husband's industry is far from the top, we have actually been able to give more and I am still able to be at home with my kids.

Again, in all these things, it is tempting to try and take credit. "I was strong in that situation. I worked hard to earn that. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps. I did this or that to get pregnant." That is what leads us to forget! We start taking our eyes off Jesus. It is a recipe for disaster! Don't do it. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and remind me to do the same.

I just have to put all of Deut 8:11-20 in because it says so much:
“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God."

If you are in that place where you are dry in your faith and feel like you have lost that passion for Jesus, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works" Rev 2:5. Thank Him for your pile of stones. Remember that from which you were rescued. Praise Him and live a life reflecting that. If you feel like God has never done anything for you that you could even talk about if someone asks, maybe He is still standing at your door and knocking. Maybe you need to let Him in.