the rocks

I'm supposed to be working. Tomorrow is our last "push day", as we call it, for our 2016 spring semester Life Groups, which launch next Sunday and I have a thousand things to do for tomorrow and to get everyone ready for the launch. I have our website that needs to be updated for next week (web designing ain't no joke & sucks up all your time), I have laundry that needs to be folded, boys that want all my attention (I can assure you I'm not complaining one second about that one), I have to get to the grocery store some time today, bathrooms that need to be cleaned & my Paw's 80th birthday party to get ready for tomorrow after church at our house...and that's just part of my to-do list for today. We spent the morning at the ice rink watching Bryson's hockey game (he's getting so good) and he has a friend coming over tonight for a sleepover, which means I have till about 6pm to get everything I need to do finished before it's playing hide-and-go-seek, nerf gun wars, jumping on the trampoline & taking bike rides around the neighborhood for me! 

 Hockey today with the Davis boys :) 

But in the midst of it all, I was sitting outside working, the wind blowing through the trees, the sun shining down making it not too hot, but not too cold, the Lord reminded me of something I desperately needed to hear. I'm glad I wasn't "too busy" to stop & listen. 

This is my get-a-way today...sitting outside on the back porch in this perfect weather with my coffee & computer. 

My mother in law, one of my most favorite people on this entire planet, shared a link on my wall. Usually if I'm right in the middle of something, I won't check my notifications, but I happened to open this one up and began watching the video. It's called the The Invisible Woman. I encourage all women to watch it, especially mothers. 

It speaks to the women who feel like their children and husbands don't see all that they're doing; all the sacrifices that are being made for their sake...and it reminds us that GOD SEES. The lady who is speaking makes a statement towards the end of the video about building a monument to the Lord. The minute she said it, my mind went to the book of Joshua. A few weeks back our pastor preached out of Joshua about being ALL IN (our theme for 2016 at River of Life). He made a statement that had me thinking all afternoon; he said, "sometimes I do wonder why God doesn't just build the bridge for us." He was referring to when Joshua was leading the nation of Israel to cross the Jordan River. 

If you read Joshua chapter 3, it's easy to stop at the miracle: the Lord cut off the water of the Jordan River so the nation of Israel could cross onto dry land...and I am by no means undermining that miracle. Just like with everything else He does, the Lord gets all the glory! But, over the past few weeks, the Lord continued to draw me back to the next chapter (Joshua 4)...and not just for the obvious, but to take a closer look at the details of the first part of the chapter.

The Lord instructed Joshua to choose 12 men (one from each of the 12 tribes) to pick up a stone from the middle of the Jordan and carry it to where they would camp that night. When we think stone, we think of small river stones that can fit in our pockets or can easily be held in our hand, but that's not what these men carried. If you go back and read verse 5, it says "...each man must take a stone on his shoulder..." They had to be pretty large stones if the men had to carry them on their shoulder. After reading the verse, the Lord pointed out a few things to me. 

1. The Lord instructed Joshua to hand pick 12 men. It must've been considered quite the honor to be hand picked to represent your tribe and carry those stones. I once heard it said, "the Lord gives the biggest battles to His strongest soldiers." If you feel like you're carrying a heavy load, know that number one, God sees and number two, He knows you can handle it because He knows your strength comes from Him. It's an honor to carry those heavy loads. 

2. I think the first few times, actually every time I've read over this story, I pass off the stones like they're nothing...just a couple of rocks that were carried a little ways. But that's not the case. Number one, they had a purpose (I'll talk more about that later) & number two, they were heavy. Really heavy...and those guys carried them from the center of the Jordan River till the next place they camped...which must've been quite a trek. Can you imagine carrying those stones on your shoulder or back for miles...all day long...in the hot sun...trying to keep up with everyone else? It wasn't easy. They were heavy...heavy burdens. But, the burden they were carrying in the process paled in comparison to the glory they would bring the Lord once they reached their destination...and there's the parallel. The burdens you carry right now, the trails you face & obstacles you are constantly fighting, they all pale in comparison to the glory the Lord will receive when you make it to that finish line, overcome that obstacle, beat that sickness or hear "Well done my good and faithful servant." 

3. The stones had a purpose. It wasn't just to weigh those 12 men down and make it nearly impossible for them to reach their destination. It wasn't to make them suffer or cause them pain. It was to build a monument. A memorial to the Lord, in remembrance of all HE had done for them. 

"He said to the people of Israel, 'In the future when children ask their parents, "What do these stones mean?" the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed. The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know His mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life.' " Joshua 4:21-24 

Your struggles have a purpose. As I look back on this past year, I see the Lord's hand through every dark valley. Never once did we ever walk alone...and the larger the stones, hurdles, struggles, hard times...the bigger the monument my life is to the Lord. The harder times I endure, the more I'm able to point back to Christ. See, that's what trips up the people who are against you & that's what catches satan off guard. What they don't understand is, the more struggles they throw your way, the more you rely on Christ & are able to point back to Him. It's only through Him you're able to stand...because it's not you standing...its Him holding you up. The more you endure, the more of a testimony you have of what Christ has done in your life. 

4. And finally...He sees. He sees every tear and every hurt. He sees every night you stayed up till 2am baking for that birthday party or the days that you spend your one off day cleaning the house top to bottom and doing all the laundry. He sees the length of the to-do list that you put down in order to read stories to your kids at night before bed or the lunches that you skipped in order to get home early to them. He sees the mornings you decide to finally look decent, take the time to put make up on & a "cute" outfit for it only to be ruined by spit up or juice from the dinner you threw in the crockpot before rushing out the door. He sees those subtle cries of your heart that want someone to notice all the hard work you put into your family. He sees those times you bite your tongue when your child takes the one last piece of gum that you really wanted or when your husband eats the last scoop of ice cream that you were looking forward to tonight after the kids were in bed. He sees those mornings and nights spent in prayer covering your family, praying your kids will run into the destiny the Lord has for them. He sees those cries of your heart & those dreams that seem to be sitting on the shelf collecting dust. He sees it all...and He knows the larger the stones, the bigger the memorial that will reflect His glory. And you know what, even if no one else sees it, Him seeing it...that's enough. Because you don't do all those things for the glory of others, your husband or even your kids. 

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him." Colossians 3:17

I'm glad the Lord doesn't just build those bridges for us. I'm glad I have rocks to carry. I'm thankful that 5, 10, 20 years down the road, I'll be able to look back and show Bryson and Parker and our other 2 kids (yes, I want 4 kids) and our grandkids about the faithfulness of Christ throughout our life and marriage. I'm thankful the Lord entrusted these rocks to me.

So, to all you tired mamas out there...use your rocks...and build a beautiful monument to the Lord. One that will last the test of time. One that will allow your kids to spend eternity with you and our maker. A memorial that took blood, sweat and many, many tears. Because in the end, carrying those rocks will prove to be more than worth it! 

All my love~
      Chelsea