Kicking Rocks
We live on a little two lane country road. It used to be just a little dirt road, but the city seems determined to encroach into our small town. I could write a whole book on that subject!! Suffice it to say, things have changed dramatically. At one time, the only traffic on said road were the vehicles of the other three families who lived here and the cows that seemed to be geniuses in the art of getting out of their pasture. These days it is so busy, we have to plan our walk around the heaviest traffic times – but I digress.
We have not become so civilized as to have sidewalks, so we walk on the side of the road. When I walked alone, I never noticed all the little rocks that make their way into the road, but when my husband started walking with me – he did. For some reason, he feels compelled to kick them out of the road and into the grass along the side. He is clearing the road of potential flying objects (which presumably might hit us as we walk). I thought this a clear waste of energy, but tending to be a follower rather than a leader I soon found myself kicking away at helpless rocks.
I have found in my walk with the Lord that He uses simple object lessons to teach me truths. Since we have been going through some difficult circumstances, I got to thinking of the rocks as little guys who have gotten into a very bad situation. There they are out in the middle of the road vulnerable to all kinds of potential harm. Cars drive by regularly not to mention trucks and school buses. At any moment they could come to great harm.
This is where I come in. I am like God (only in this little object lesson mind you). I see that the rock is in a very bad place, and so I give it a good kick to get it out of said bad place and into a place of safety. Now the rock probably does not want to be kicked. In fact, the kick is very likely painful to the rock. What it doesn’t understand is, that unless it experiences that brief time of pain, it cannot reach a place where it will be protected and at peace.
I think like the rock, there are times I may be in a place where God thinks I am heading for great harm, or even that I just need to move to a place that is better for me. So He kicks me! The kick may be any number of painful things that happen in life, but if God is doing the kicking I can be assured it is for my good. Once the pain of the kick is over, I find myself in a better place.
Now I realize this leaves a lot to be desired as far as an analogy goes. I very often send the rock flying in the opposite direction I intended, and it ends up in an even more vulnerable place. Not good. There are also times I miss altogether and the poor rock is left sitting exactly where it was.
God doesn’t make mistakes. Anything that comes to me He intends for my ultimate good. He doesn’t just go around aimlessly kicking “rocks”. Sometimes it is just a gentle tap, and other times it takes something a bit more robust to get my attention. I wish I could learn all my lessons the easy way, but I know that I can be downright stubborn sometimes. I’m glad the Lord cares too much about me to leave me in a bad situation and that His kicks come with lots of love and grace.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
What a sweet reminder! Yes, sometimes being part of His Rock Relocation Program is, in fact, painful. Your analogy makes me think of why we have rocks where we do… to build the terrain up, to offer support, to keep things (cars, people) from slipping. Rocks are best used for those purposes in large groups, too, just like we need the fellowship of other “rocks” whom God has moved into similar circumstances. And oh, aren’t those rocks probably so far from where they started– probably in some quarry in another state! But they are just where they are needed.
I really enjoyed this today! Thank you, sweet friend!
Great devotion, thank you.
It’s great how God is able to use the simple things in our lives as a means of teaching us a powerful lesson.
Thanks for sharing.
I agree withCiyndi…. I am in the Rock relocation plan right along with you Linda! Boy, the last kick hurt but I am now free of a very evil danger.