Even the Rocks Cry Out His Glory

So if you haven't been keeping up with me lately I am currently cleaning out my life, both metaphorically and physically.  Today has been no exception, getting rid of a stuffed trash bag of clothes and throwing even more junk out.  But as I was sorting through stuff I had brought back form camp I came across a rock.  For those that are curious, I had a rather large rock collection before this week; I like shiny, sparkly, and unusual things, and rocks are no exception.  However, it has rapidly dwindled down to a mere handful that might even disappear before this week's out.  The rock I found from camp had been given to me by someone asking me to describe it.  Now this rock is rather plain, slightly oddly shaped, and totally devoid of anything that would have made me pick it up if it had been me; however, it hadn't been me and I gave it my best try.  I sat looking at it for some time actually, trying to find some feature of the rock to expound upon and bring out its beauty.  But in the end I found essentially nothing, an incredibly small area that sparkled being the only part that stood out to me but, as a whole, that sparkly part faded in comparison to the ugliness of the rest of the rock.

So I went to describe the rock to them with nothing good to really say about it.  I don't remember the conversation perfectly, just that I said the rock had no redeeming qualities but because someone had given it value it was now worth something.  I went on to say that I was going to keep it and some day in the future it would be put in some place important.

So today as I picked it up I wondered what to do with it, it isn't necessary at all and I'd thrown out many more worthy rocks in the past couple days.  The thought to toss it crossed my mind but it was replaced by the fact I said I'd keep it and the promise I'd made to the rock that it'd placed in a place of importance.  So what did I do, well as any good person would do I wrote up a contract of sorts and signed it.  The contract goes like this-

Destined for something greater than its circumstances, this rock has a place among kings not because of its worth but because of the worth given it by the one who holds it.  It will not get there on its own strength but by the strength given it.

This rock shall be given a place of importance.

Joshua Falk: Joshua Falk

Now this might have seemed somewhat childish, but as I finished writing this up I was suddenly struck by a little something I like to call "Biblical application," which I see everywhere.  One of those curses/blessings of being a writer and seeing everything through a different lens.  Usually Biblical application is something corny but true that pertains to the circumstances at hand, but this time I stopped as I examined all the different facets of what it meant.

First off we are the rock, if this is where your mind went to instantly then good job but it keeps going.  In and of ourselves we are worthless to God, perhaps there are those few good work we tote as our badge of "generosity" or "selflessness" that are the sparkly part of our lives, but when you actually look at our lives as a whole we are ugly and worthless.  In everything we do we can't get anywhere, make ourselves worth something, or make ourselves seen by those passing by.  And even if we are seen, if we're not pretty, people keep walking.  Sound bleak yet?  Still going.  We are open to the elements of life that wear us away until we are ground into the dirt that people walk on every day.

At this point I don't like being compared to a rock, it can hit far too close to home sometimes.  But it doesn't have to end there.  You see this rock had something special happen to it, even though it wasn't pretty, useful, or needed it was chosen.  This is just the start.  This rock wasn't just picked up and pocketed, it was given a purpose and given worth.  Right now that actually sounds rather appealing.

From there it gets even better.  The rock was examined for anything worthy in and of itself, and was found lacking; however, despite its lack of worth, it was given worth and it was given a special spot in my heart.  It was taken under my protection and my care, well metaphorically speaking, and I made a purpose for it that would put it in a place of importance in the future.  It was promised this and it was given proof that it will be carried out, on my word.

If you haven't gotten it by now I am talking about our relationship to God.  We are utterly worthless to Him and He still chooses to use us and give us worth.  We have no strength on our own to get to a place of worth but He gives us the strength by leading and carrying us there.

My mind breaks things down and cross examines stuff to the extreme, it's part of my personality and how my mind works.  At times it can be a hard to deal with but in this case as I kept looking at how rich of an example this is I was left floored.  I am a gray smudge on the ground amidst a million other gray smudges, but God reached down and picked me up, giving me a purpose and giving me worth.  He didn't merely pocket me, He promised me a place of importance and promised to guide and carry me there.  Now I must follow Him with everything I have.  I guess this is where the analogy breaks down, nothing's perfect.

But that's what God showed me as I looked upon a piece of worthless stone, I saw myself reflected in its dull gray exterior.  This is what awed me, this mere piece of our planet is bringing glory to its creator by simply pointing me to what the God of the universe did for me.  To me, now, the stones shall always cry out the glory of God.

But Jesus answered, “I tell you ... the stones will cry out!” - Luke 19:40

Constantly In Awe of My God,
Joshua