One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to the river with my family. We spent a lot of time climbing on the rocks in the river and would often get soaked. As I reflect on those memories and recall how many rocks I climbed, I think about the steps I took from one stone to another. Some stones were easy to step on, some were not, some were slippery, some were dry, some were close together, and some were far apart. No matter which stone I found in my river adventures, they all had the same purpose. In my eyes, they were for stepping.
I like to think of stones in a river as an exemplification of steppingstones in life. Each one has a purpose. So, what do these stones look like? Maybe they look like learning to drive a car. Maybe building that relationship. Maybe publishing your first book. Maybe applying for the job you aren’t sure you are qualified for. Maybe learning that instrument. Maybe getting that degree. Maybe, just maybe, buying that dream home.
My walk with God has been full of steppingstones. Some of the stones in my life have been big, some have been small, some have been dry, and on some I’ve slipped. What did I do when I slipped on a stone? I got back up, dried myself off, and continued my journey.
Each steppingstone in our life is unique and important because it propels us to where we are today. Some stones are easy to find. I like to call them grace or gifts. Other stones are hard to find. I like to call them challenges. And then other stones are slippery, and I like to call them lessons.
So, what do we do with these stones in life? We trust God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
When we trust God with all our hearts, He will make our paths straight. It does not matter where we are in our lives. We can rest in the fact that God is with us always to help us with each steppingstone we come to.
To this day, I still find slippery stones every time I am in the river. When I do, I slow down and find a dry stone or one that is in better reach, a safe stone. In the same way, when I see a slippery stone in life, I slow down, I seek God, and I aim to go in the direction he has called me to and toward the stone He has laid before me.
Psalm 32:23
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.”
-Melissa Day
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