Stones

Several years ago, I visited Estonia. I was unaccustomed, but amused, to see road signs posting “Watch out for Moose;” I was also unaccustomed to seeing large piles of stones at the edges of cultivated fields; there were piles of stones at the edge of almost every field I saw. The land was very stony; in order to grow crops in their fields, farmers gathered offending stones into piles beside their fields. Usually they left the pebbles that were small enough that farm equipment could navigate through them. It was large enough a task just to remove the large stones and boulders, not to mention farming such brutal soil.

Nevertheless Estonian farmers had beautiful, productive crops. I could only imagine the back-breaking, long hours of work that went into clearing stones from their fields. But the necessity of growing food for themselves and their animals was a powerful internal motivation. As John Wayne said in the western movie Stagecoach, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.” A statement not restricted to the male persuasion; any one of us, facing stony ground against seemingly impossible odds, hopes to rise to the occasion. (Which often) happens when someone performs at a higher level when faced with a new challenge. Sometimes situations arise that are impossible to prepare for, and people need to rise up to the occasion. (Quoted from TedXMileHigh).

The Apostle Paul pointed out that those who live by their own way, and not by faith, put a stumbling stone in the path of their, and others,’ spiritual journey (RWV “The Revised Willis Version). And of course our current vernacular is replete reminders that we can become a stumbling stone in someone’s journey. On another occasion, Paul gave the Church of Galatia a proper scolding, taking them to task about how they were being stumbling blocks (My term here). Then he offered positive guidance to them by teaching them about—- -fruits of the Spirit, as an authentic means for centering their lives.

Stones also have positive meanings. The Vietnam Wall, although much sorrow and many tears, are experienced daily as throngs of visitors tarry there. That stone memorial stands with permanent reminders of lives sacrificed in answer to the Nation’s call to duty. In a powerful, far too inadequate a way, it represents our Nation’s thanks for their loyalty. As Bob Dylan sang, …how many ears must one man have, Before he can hear people cry? Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?

There is for me, a prominent mention of stones is in the book of Joshua. After forty years, and generations of wandering in the wilderness, the Children of Israel finally crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. By then Moses had died, and Joshua was their leader. At their crossing, Joshua commanded one man from each of the twelve tribes bring a stone from the riverbed. The twelve stones were placed as a memorial to their crossing. Joshua said, when your children ask you “What do these stones mean?“ you can tell them about this miraculous victorious crossing. (Emphasis Added). The story lives on from the stones.

©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2022