I wrote this blog back in 2018 for another site but after a recent conversation in my church life group about stones mentioned in the bible, I thought I would repost it here.
I drove to the Lake District with my boyfriend (now husband) for a day out, and we found ourselves on West Shore Beach, Walney Island. The beach was covered with pebbles as you can see in the photo I took. The pebbles amazed me, how many there were and how different they all were. It got me thinking about how a pebble is a formed.
The pebbles found on a beach form gradually over time as the ocean water washes over loose rock particles. The water turns the rocks repeatedly, smoothing them a little bit every time, giving this smooth, rounded appearance. The pebbles you find on a river bed are usually not as smooth as beach pebbles, this is due to the river current being gentler than the ocean waves. This process of erosion can also move the pebble from one location to another.
How similar does this sound to our lives and how we are formed? We are like the pebbles and the circumstances around us are like the water, washing over us, turning us repeatedly and moving us from one place to another. Sometimes we feel like those pebbles just being washed by a current that we have no control over, being bashed against other rocks and pebbles and not knowing where we will end up.
But as a believer and a disciple of Jesus Christ, my life has been placed in his hands. You could say, my pebble has been placed in an ocean where the current is controlled by God, the creator of the world.
My pebble will still be washed by waves as God continues to smooth my appearance to become more like him.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren
Romans 8: 28-29
My pebble will still come into contact with other pebbles and bits of my pebble will be removed in that process as God removes things from my life.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15: 2
My pebble will still move from one place to another but with a God given purpose and hope!
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13
Beach pebbles are often used for landscaping, construction and as decorative elements. I think there are similarities in how God uses us and our lives to change the landscape of the earth (landscaping), to BUILD his Kingdom (construction) and to make the earth a more beautiful place (decorative).
Where is your pebble and what it is being used for? Is it in the ocean of the world, being washed by circumstances with no purpose? Or is it in the ocean of God, being washed and smoothed by the creator of the world, being shaped to look more like Him, with a purpose and hope?
Are you being used for landscaping, construction and/or as a decorative element?
I know where I want my pebble to be, and that’s in the hands of God being used to build His Kingdom!
It's a Faith Thing 
Leave a Reply