The Meaning of "Stones of Remembrance"

Someone asked me recently why I changed the name of my blog from "My Life Today" to "Stones of Remembrance". Well, when I first started my blog I was just trying to figure everything out...how to set up my Google account, setting up my home page, how to post daily entries, etc. I honestly just plugged in a quick title without giving it much thought. Over the past few months, I started thinking that the name of my blog should have a little depth to it because I want my blog to have a little depth. I certainly do want to share "my life today" with my family and my friends, but I also want to share my walk with God and His activity in my life.

So, as I thought about a blog title my mind went back to my all time favorite Bible study, Believing God by Beth Moore. I completed this study in 2003, right on the heels of completing Breaking Free, another fabulous Beth Moore study. I went through it again in 2004 and taught it to a group of ladies in 2005. In the study she taught a few powerful lessons on Joshua 3-4. This is the story of the Israelites crossing through the middle of the Jordan River, finally entering into their promised land. God gave the command for the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, to enter the river first and then the Israelites would follow a half mile behind. As soon as the feet of the priests hit the water the flow of the water stopped. The river was cut off upstream and stood up like a wall. The middle of the riverbed became completely dry. The priests, holding the Ark of the Covenant (the presence of God), stood completely still while the entire nation of Israel passed by, crossing the Jordan River on dry ground. Amazing!

The Lord commanded Joshua to pick 12 men, one from each tribe of Israel, to pick up a stone from the middle of the Jordan riverbed, carry the stone out and pile them up at the place where they would camp that night (which was Gilgal). Those stones were used to build a memorial to God. Joshua gave an explanation to the people about those stones....read the verses below.

Joshua 4:21-24 (New Living Translation)
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever."

Beth...yes, we are on a first name basis...had many rich lessons from these verses, but one particular point she made was that we all have a story...a story worth remembering...a story worth passing on. God has been with His children all along and will continue to be with His children...past, present, and future. We have been assigned the tremendous responsibility of building a heritage of faith into our children (the future generation), which includes sharing the faithfulness of God.

When I first completed this study I didn't have "physical" children, but Beth helped me to see that I did have "spiritual" children...those who I taught in Bible study, Sunday School, and DT, and those people I came in contact with everyday as I lived out my faith. Now that I do have physical children, this story takes on even more importance to me.

I want to remember the things that God is teaching me. Like Joshua and the Israelites, I need to pick up stones of remembrance along my path because God is constantly offering promises for me to stand on and hidden jewels of wisdom for me to cling to as I travel through my daily life. My goal is to continue this blog for many, many years and to print out a hard copy to keep. Hopefully my girls will read it one day and be able to trace my spiritual journey and be encouraged. Maybe the encouragement won't be limited to just my girls, but will reach others who happen by this small part of the world wide web.

Read 1 Peter 2:4-5 and be encouraged. We are living stones, living reminders to the world that Jesus was here.