I don’t remember what first sparked the inspiration for rocks of faithfulness, but what always comes to mind now is when the Israelites had finally made it to the Promised Land, each tribe brought a rock and God tells them to remember what he did for them and to tell your children all the time how faithful He is.
I often wonder how much any of the Israelites went back to that stack of stones, or how long it took for them to mostly fade into the background and eventually be forgotten. Or if there was always a handful of Jews that knew this was the altar that was made when they entered the land God promised them.
Growing up I always thought God was being excessive on the “talk about me all the time” directions, and how often he repeated Himself to the Israelites. Then I became a parent and realized that’s all parents do: repeat themselves to their children. And maybe, after a couple years, my kids remember what I say, and then maybe after a few more years of repeating it they understand what I’m saying and then maybe after a few more years they can do what I’m saying. And then, if we’re lucky as parents, they go on to repeat the same things to their kids.
And as God’s children, He has to repeat Himself, and have us repeat His truth, over and over so we don’t forget it. God knew it was a habit the Israelites had to build after spending centuries surrounded by the false gods of Egypt. And it’s the same for each of us. We have to constantly be working toward the habit of putting God first in our minds, life, and actions.
If you didn’t grow up learning God’s truth and looking for his faithfulness, it might take you a while to make God first a habit. I’ve come to believe “Time in equals time out.” Meaning however long you focused in one direction, it will take you that long to change directions and make new habits. It might seem discouraging that old habits will take that long, but take it as some mercy and grace for yourself that you can’t change everything at once. I know it’s been a good reminder for my family and me that we can’t change everything at once, and a reminder to see how far we’ve come as individuals and as a family to make God the center of everything. God has met us where we’re at, and God will meet you where you’re at. It will take time, but God will help you every step of the way.
And it’s that mindset that led me to create the rocks of Faithfulness journal. I wanted a place to put the times I’ve noticed God’s faithfulness. Because when I need the reminders in times of:
- Exhaustion
- Disappointment
- Numbness
- Anxiety
- Loneliness
It always feels hard to recall the times God has been faithful:
- Times when I’ve felt blessed
- Ways he’s taken bad and turned it for my good
- Ways he’s provided for me
- Ways he just made his presence known.
With a journal I can write the big and small ways God has shown up in my life, so when it gets hard again, because it always does, I can remember that he will continue to be faithful. And hopefully I’ll continue to remember all the big and little ways God has shown up for me, so I’ll never wonder if God will continue to do what he promises through the good and bad, because he is faithful.
Stay Weird,
“Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.” Joshua 4:5-7
