My Stone of Thanksgiving. A physical reminder of all God has done. Crafted with Sharpie oil-based pen and Sculpey glaze. Sometimes I forget all that He’s done for me. Other times, I forget to even give thanks. But today, I want to pause and remember God for all that He has done this year.
This blog post has been on my heart for over a month, but I had to remind myself just yesterday that God has been so good to us through our adoption journey and shown Himself throughout it. It’s when I start to forget that I begin to be burdened. When the “blah” of life starts creeping in, I need a reminder like the Israelites had that will knock some sense into this forgetful head of mine.
I was inspired by the Book of Joshua to create my own stone of thanksgiving for the past year. This stone is now a physical reminder of all that God has done. You see, in Joshua chapter 1, Joshua is established as the new leader of the Israelites after Moses’s death and the Lord tells him to lead the people “into the land I am about to give to them” (verse 2, NIV). The first step: cross the Jordan River at flood stage.
This blog post has been on my heart for over a month, but I had to remind myself just yesterday that God has been so good to us through our adoption journey and shown Himself throughout it. It’s when I start to forget that I begin to be burdened. When the “blah” of life starts creeping in, I need a reminder like the Israelites had that will knock some sense into this forgetful head of mine.
I was inspired by the Book of Joshua to create my own stone of thanksgiving for the past year. This stone is now a physical reminder of all that God has done. You see, in Joshua chapter 1, Joshua is established as the new leader of the Israelites after Moses’s death and the Lord tells him to lead the people “into the land I am about to give to them” (verse 2, NIV). The first step: cross the Jordan River at flood stage.
Joshua and the twelve tribes of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, and the Lord did not disappoint when He parted the river and they crossed on dry ground (chapter 3). (Fun Fact: This was not the first time God demonstrated His power in the parting of water. In Exodus 14, God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites led by Moses. ) After Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, God instructed him to choose twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes, to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan River (Joshua 4: 2).
Why did God tell Joshua to do this? The stones would serve as a reminder. Joshua explained to the Israelites that “[i]n the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ …He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” (verse 21-22, 24)
Where are the stones? The stones were carried to Gilgal “where they are there to this day” (verse 12). I love that line: They are there to this day. The stones are a permanent reminder of God’s power and provisions.
Like the Israelites, I need to be reminded of what God has done for me. Like the Israelites, I want to explain to my children how God has demonstrated His power in my life. My stone of remembrance will be a permanent reminder to me and Baby Burge that God is powerful.
What do you need to remember?
How has God demonstrated His power in your life?
What can you do to not forget?
Remembering to be Thankful,
Beth
