A Pile of Stones

A man and wife signed on for a whitewater rafting trip down the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, through an impassable canyon of solid granite. No way in. No way out.

They shot the rapids by day and ate gourmet meals by night, which by the way, is my idea of camping. But the environmental restrictions were unbelievable.

Absolutely nothing could be left at any campsite. Rafters could pass through the canyon, but could leave no sign that humans had stayed in the canyon.

I understand the environmentalists' requirements, because we humans often abuse what we use. But it would be impossible to erase all signs of the presence of humans in the canyon, whether it be a thin strand of hair or a tiny droplet of blood. We all leave a trail wherever we go.

Joshua said to his twelve leaders: "Let's not let this moment slip by without marking it for posterity. I want each of you to fetch a stone from the floor of the river. Then pile them up. That way, when your children ask about the stones in days to come, you'll tell them of the captivity of the Egypt years. You'll tell them about suffering as slaves, leaving Egypt, crossing the desert and the rivers to the Promised Land. “This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."

So they piled up the stones, which signified God’s work among His people. And while we can no longer find the stones, we are still telling the story. Amazing!

You and I are all leaving stones along our path. What story do those stones tell to those around us? Do the memorial stones of our lives show that the Lord’s hand is mighty? Do we fear the Lord? Is God glorified through our lives?

Blessings,

Willie L. Jordan (Mrs. Fred Jordan)