I took that picture several years ago on a sojourn to Wells Beach, Maine. There was a man at this jetty that was creating these rock sculptures. I got to watch him build this particular stack. Those stones are not being held together with anything except perfect balance. I keep this print in my office across from where I sit at my desk so I can see it each day. It is a constant reminder to me of important lessons I want to follow daily.

Lesson one: the man building this stack had a big pile of stones to choose from. He spent time looking over his choices but chose only the ones that would support his creation. Every day we have a huge pile of opportunities and responsibilities in front of us. There are only so many we need but we tend to select too many hoping they will somehow all work together. We often don’t consult the Master Builder when making our daily choices and when the stack won’t stand because we are putting the wrong things in our day, we become frustrated and unmotivated for the next stack. Did you know that God is just waiting for you to ask Him to guide the planning of your day? He knows what you need and what will cause the whole day to be out of balance. He knows you don’t need to select every stone in the pile to try to find validation in your day. He has that for you fully when you open your eyes in the morning before you have done anything for anybody. You and I already have such great value to the Father. If we could absorb that knowledge deep into our souls we would choose just the right things for our day and at the end of it wouldn’t feel disappointed because it wasn’t perfect. There is no perfect day or perfect us but if we take our eyes off of the need to validate ourselves we would perhaps see our day was good or good enough and find the balance right there.

Lesson two: The builder of that stone stack spent a lot longer on the base/bottom pieces than the ones on the top. Look at the picture again and see if, like me, your eye is drawn to the top stones. They are the most exhilarating, they have the most wow-factor. Doesn’t this describe our lives in Christ pretty well? We are so anxious to get to the exciting things about Christian walk – being able to pray those awesome prayers, hearing His voice speaking to us, that super faith you envy is so-n-so, etc. We want to do big things with Him and for Him and often get frustrated when we are floundering around with understanding His Word, or being afraid to pray out loud, or not sensing our value. The truth is, the most important thing in our faith journey is spending time on the right foundation stones. You’ll spend a long time there and it won’t feel glamorous or exciting but that is the crucial place so sit and work the stones because once God is ready to activate you for an assignment you and He have got to know that you have a solid foundation built. If you don’t, the whole stack may come tumbling down because you never learned balance. For your own good, God will keep you at a certain level until you have learned all the lessons in that season. Don’t wish for more or a life that someone else has. You are unique from anyone else He has created and your stone stack will be unique too. Do the frustrating, sometimes monotonous, important base work now in preparation for the next stone.

Lesson three: I didn’t ask the man who built this balanced stack if he spent any time deciding on the location of the base before he placed the first stone, but if I had, I believe he probably was very thoughtful and choosy about where to place that first stone. In Matthew 7 Jesus talks about the importance of building your house (your life) on the rock and not the sand so that when storms come (notice, He says when, not if) you will not get knocked over. If that stone stack had been started in the sand, it may have been steady at the beginning but as more weight and pressure was added, the sand would have shifted. If the first stone had been placed on a rock surface that was flawed in some way the stack wouldn’t have held. For our growth and balance we must build on a pure and true foundation. I only know of one and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. There are lots of religions and beliefs and organizations that do good things but they have flaws and will not support when the storms of life come. There is one absolute truth and one absolute God. Through Jesus, He made a way that every single person in the world can start building on Him – the sure foundation.

I know that I know that I know that I have balance when I experience peace and satisfaction. Choose only the stones for the day that God calls you to choose. He has already given you everything you need in Him. Stay focused on the place you find yourself today and know that you are building a strong base for the next stone that He will place when you are ready. Choose your base wisely. The balance of peace and satisfaction are just waiting there for you as you align your own stack of stones.