Rocks

            I was in church the other day, and our pastor referred to Jesus as our “rock”…it reminded me of the hymn that says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand”.  In our Lutheran magazine for August 2017, the reflection talks about Jesus being the “living stone”—and God being the rock from which we were “hewn”—as Isaiah in the bible tells us to look for (51:1). 

           You can rely on a rock to steady you.  It won’t budge.  It’s strong.  It’s dependable.  It’s sturdy.  You can lean on a rock, rest on it, build with it. It won’t move.  Rocks are what we make foundations with—our cornerstones of our life are the people and things that secure us, steady us, keep us finding home again and again.

            We study rocks and where they came from.  What they’re made of tells a story of time so long ago we weren’t even a dream.  Our soil, our homes, our lives are built and steadied on rock.  What do we call the rock that a soil came from and sits on?  Parent material.  Bedrock.  A bed holds us.  Cradles us.  We feel comfortable, safe in a bed—we feel safe knowing our parents are behind us all the way.  Parents are what we begin our lives on—what we grow our lives relying on to sturdy us.  We want rocks. 

            But sometimes rocks are heavy.  Extra weight.  They sink in water.  They drown us if we cling to them.  Rocks can crumble—can be worn down for such a long time they turn into the sand (little rocks!!) that we sink in.  When we are trying to “keep our heads above water”, the last thing we grab onto is a rock—it doesn’t float!!!  When it’s time to move on, a rock doesn’t come along.  When Peter tried to walk on water with Jesus, he “sank like a rock”!  When we have problems, we don’t always have elephants in the room—sometimes we have rocks in our backpack.  What do we do when we want to lighten our load?  To stand taller?  To worry less?  We drop a rock from our “baggage”.  We let go of a heavy weight that we don’t need—and what are you doing with a bunch of rocks in a backpack anyways?!?!?  Let them go!

            A bunch of rocks can be a landslide, can roll over us, can bury us.  No one wants to stand in front of a rolling rock, not to mention a whole mountain-side of them! 

            So what function does a rock really have in our life?  Is it an anchor or a dead weight?  Is it a foundation or something we need to let go of?  Something to steady us or weigh us down? 

            I suppose it depends on the function our “rock” is playing in our life.  Are we trying to build up or swim away?  Is our rock a “good” aspect or a “bad” influence?  How do we assess this?  Can a “good” rock turn into a “bad” rock, or vice versa?  When we think of our rock, does it give us anxiety or relief?  Hope or resignation? 

            I am in the process of evaluating the rocks in my life—letting go of the ones in my backpack, and building with the ones that steady me. 

Julie Soaring Eagle Paschold

September 30, 2017