JJaenke posted on May 18, 2009 13:15
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
I was outside coaching my two little friends how to play tee ball. The little boy loved whacking the ball off the top of the tee to see how far it would go. His sister waited patiently her turn digging in the gravel of our driveway. When it was her turn she tucked a rock into the side of her shoe and said “I’m going to keep my pretty rock here to keep it safe” and she headed up to wallop the ball. My little friend has a love for picking up dusty rocks in my driveway and collecting them. She calls them her “pretty rocks”. She can see the beauty in each one as where I see dusty rocks.
I learned a lesson from my little rock picker and it reminded me of Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are like the rocks in the gravel driveway. We are created by God and each one is different than the others. They may be the same type of rock but each rock is shaped differently and the beauty of each rock belongs to that rock alone. We are also dirty and dusty like the rocks. Many of us get driven over by cars on a daily basis and it can sometime break us or at least get us really dirty and grungy. Just like the rocks, we too may appear “not very pretty” at first meeting. The dirt and dust of the world on us hides our Creator’s beauty that is in us. How fortunate that Christ is like my little friend. He sees the beauty and uniqueness in each of us. He collects us up and holds us close as He says “I’m keeping my pretty rocks to keep them safe.” Each one of us is a special creation and displays His beauty in a unique way.
He didn’t wait until we went through the rock polisher to become beautiful. He picked us while we were still dirty and dusty. He sees us as God intends us to be. When do we see the beauty in the rocks? Sometimes it is as simple as using water. We too are washed clean in our baptismal water and blood shed by Christ.
As you are out and about this summer keep an eye on the rocks. Do you see them as dusty and dirty or can you see the beauty that God created?