When Jesus Throws the Stone
We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19
As a child, I can remember spending many hours at the stream perfecting my stone-skipping skills. There were no other contestants, so I was always the winner, but I always tried to improve on the previous number. It’s been a long time, but I think my highest ever was fourteen.
Have you ever watched the ripple effect on a still pool of water? It’s quite a mystery, isn’t it? If you were to throw that same pebble into the river or ocean, you would never get the same result. Those waters are often rushing and chaotic, kind of like life.
We have that opportunity to pick up a few stones every single day—not literally of course. With a few loving words, we can make waves in our area. It spreads and spreads back toward the shoreline.
I like to picture Jesus as the Teacher. Using my imagination, I can see Him searching for a stone.
Wait, that isn’t the one I would have chosen. He picked a small, lumpy one! He draws His arm back and says a few words: “Size means nothing.” What could He possibly mean by that? I watch Him throw and it skips so many times I can’t count the ripples fast enough. Wow!
We walk on. He stops in front of a big boulder and breaks off a piece as if it were fresh bread. At the edge of the water, He again prepares to throw. This time He lets me know without question, “Age means nothing.” The skips are not as many, but the ripples are bigger. OK, I am impressed!
Our journey continues. He stops and looks at a huge stone and then He looks at me. He waits. I suddenly shudder, “No, no! You can’t really expect me to throw this big rock and try to skip it across the water. Do You? I can’t do this. It’s crazy!”
He simply stands and looks at me.
Finally, He speaks. “Faith means everything!” All I can see is love and devotion in His eyes. I take hold of the rock (which isn’t nearly as heavy as it looks) and let it fly through the air.
Unbelievable! Fifteen ripples! That is more than I got as a kid. With uncontainable joy and excitement, I holler, “Jesus, did You see that? Did You?”
He just smiles.
Awesome God, thank You for sending us the best Teacher! Help us to grow our faith as we learn Your lessons. Help us to love as You love. AMEN.