Rocks, rocks, rocks.... I have more than enough
rocks for everyone. About a month and a half earlier,
I had twelve tons of rock dumped on our lawn by
a big ugly dump truck. It left nasty scars in the
lawn, but it left me with a glorious pile of testosterone
satisfying tasks.
At
ten dollars a ton, I was excited to have this cheap
mountain of wall building material. To the uninitiated
eye, it looked like a pile of rubble: large rocks,
small rocks, gravel, some dust and dirt thrown in
for good measure, and an occasional surprise of
a twisted piece of metal or broken board.
I saw raised planters, and stone paths, surrounding
herb gardens, and perennial flower beds, but my
wife had the untrained eye, she saw a mountain range
of garbage on her lawn.
I
have thought of little else in my spare time, other
than rocks: How to place the rocks, creative ways
to build seats of stone in the walls I am making,
looking up internet resources for creating dry-stacked
rubble walls, and having dreams of interlocking
stones not unlike a game of tetris.
I sat by the waterfront in Salem the other day,
and thought that there must be something about rocks
which would be a lesson for life, but it wasn't
easy meditating on the subject of a rock.
So,
I sat on a rock, and looked across the water - then
I looked at the rocks - then again at the water
- and again at the rocks. Okay, I wasn't getting
anywhere.
What
can you say about a rock? Rocks don't lend themselves
to the finest illustrations. Especially, when you
are getting in trouble for dumping twelve tons of
them on your lawn, just weeks before a big party.
Perhaps
I had a head full of rocks for having all these
rocks dumped on my lawn.The
Bible does speak of people having hearts of stone.
These thoughts weren't exactly easing my meditative
frustrations. There had to be something good to
say about rocks. I stared at a rock again.
Have
you ever wondered how long the rocks have been around?
or considered what they might have seen in their
long years of existence? The buildings and the roads
have come and gone, and come and gone again. Shorelines
have transformed. Trees and bushes have grown and
died, and decomposed; and grown, and died, and decomposed
many times again. The feuds and allegiances of men
have passed by with the years, and the rocks have
been here through it all - unchanged, except by
being broken or moved for the purpose of man's progress.
The
rocks have heard the petty gossip, and the senseless
disagreements throughout the centuries. They have
seen the children play, and parents scramble to
raise them right from one generation to another.
Wars have come and gone, and feats of wonder have
changed the world for good.
If
the rocks could speak, they could tell us conversations
between our forefathers, of hopes and dreams - those
dashed, and those come to pass. They could tell
us of heroes and villains, and of the weaknesses
and the nobilities of both. They could retell the
history of our beginnings as a nation, and correct
our assumptions about the Witchtrials of 1692.
Perhaps
a Native American sat on this same rock, and wondered
what it had known of his forefathers. To those same
ancient people, this rock would have been ancient,
and they would have wondered what it had seen and
heard.
No,
I do not think the rock can really see, or truly
hear, but somehow it does speak to me. The rock
speaks to me of an unchangeable strength and character
through the millennia. While cities, and nations,
and laws, and religions rise and fall; the rock
remains unchanged.
"My
God is a Rock," said Moses, as did David the King
of Israel (and one of history's most prolific and
talented composer/musicians.)
The
rock speaks to me of my God. He is unchanged by
the fickle ways of humanity. Yet, He has seen the
years go by, with the rise and fall of empires.
Heroes and villains have come and gone. Sorrows
and joys, failures and victories have not transformed
Him.
Like
the rock, He is unchanged. Unlike the rock, He has
seen and He has heard, and He is not unmoved. He
has sorrowed with us, and found joy in the simplicity
of life when we have discovered it. When we have
called to Him for help, He has responded. When we
have ignored Him, He has held out His hand to invite
us back home to Him.His
ancient wisdom speaks to the questions of today,
and has held out answers to our forefathers as well.
It
started as twelve tons of rock on our lawn, but
now I am reminded of an ancient wisdom, when I look
at the stone walls in our yard.
