Everyone Has Their Own Box of Rocks

Yesterday, a friend said to me "Everyone has their own box of rocks." That stuck with me for the rest of the day and I woke up this morning with that box of rocks still on my mind. What a great analogy for painful life experiences. Life beats us all up. No matter who you are, if you live very long, the rocks are coming. And they contribute significantly to who we become.

What are we to do with that box of rocks we have collected?

Some of those who have been hurt by rocks hold them close to their chest and thrust those same rocks at anyone who comes near.

Some bury their head so far into their rocks they become almost unrecognizable. Their most glaringly apparent attribute is the markings of the rocks.

Some hold onto the rocks with a death grip. The rocks become a trophy that cannot be pried from their fist.

Still, we look at others and wonder if they ever had any rocks thrown at them. Where is their box?

In Jeremiah 17:5-10, God gives us a comparison of two men who have the same rocks thrown at them. Both men face heat and drought. However, one man is "like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows." While the other is "like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season." (The Message)

Same rocks, different result. Why? One man trusted in himself. The other trusted in the Lord. Because our rocks are so personal, we are sometimes deceived into thinking we have to deal with them ourselves. We will let God help but ultimately we think it is our responsibility alone. 

Hebrews 4:15-16 assures us that "We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help."

Jesus had rocks thrown at Him in every sense of the word. Give Him the box. He is the only one who can redeem it for good.

We have two new infant grandbabies. Precious. Innocent. Untouched by hurt. The picture of peace. No rocks yet. My prayer for them today is that our loving and wise God will not allow any rock close to them that He cannot use for good all for His glory.