A Rock Solid Image of God

I love trees and gardens, but mountains? Not so much. I’ve spent little time in mountanous regions and they just aren’t part of the landscape of my soul, so to speak. 

In the Bible Jesus is referenced as spending time both in the Garden of Gethsemane and on Mount Tabor, so clearly he resonated with images of both trees/gardens and rocks/ mountains found in the psalms. I, on the other hand, need to work on expanding my appreciation for all God’s creation and how it informs my spiritual life.

The following observation by Christine Valters Paintner was helpful in this regard: “Stones are an icon of grace; they reveal to me a face of the Divine that endures and is ever-patient with the world’s unfolding.”

In the midst of a society where humans have become programmed for speed, productivity, and instant results, it is comforting to know that God who is ever patient. As I feel myself aging and encounter the fragility of a growing number community members and friends who are dealing with illness and dying, it helps to remember that God endures and that we who share God’s life endure too.

Although I’ll never have the stamina to “climb every mountain,” maybe it’s time for me to add a stone to the landscape of my soul (or at least to my prayer corner).