Throwing Rocks
What do you get when you cross a Mason jar, a handful of rocks, and a fine-print sharpie?
No, it’s not a joke. And no, it’s not a craft project, either.
Give up? It’s actually a truth reminder—one that will help us strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God. We’ll return to rocks in a minute, but let me remind you of a future king called a man after God’s own heart.
My last POST shared the story of how David strengthened himself in the Lord his God in times of adversity.
We are not strangers to adversity here in 2022, either. There is undoubtedly enough turmoil in the world. Rocky job situations. Stress in relationships. Unpaid bills. Uncertain circumstances. Months have come and passed without the breakthrough in the situation you seek. All around us, life can break over us, leaving us tired, weary, stressed, and unable to seemingly put one foot in front of the other without wanting to crawl into bed, pull the covers over our noses, and cry “Uncle.”
I had a couple of days like that last week. I woke up overwhelmed, and the day didn’t disappoint in providing more tasks, stress, and circumstances. I SOS’ed my husband, who shot back a straightforward thing—9.
Do you remember what the “9” meant? (If not, go HERE.)
I can hear you under your breath. “So, Aleisha. Come on. It sounds great and all, but really…how in the world do I strengthen myself in the Lord my God? What does that really look like?”
I get it. I had to ask myself the same thing—and I even had written the post!
My thoughts went to acknowledging the truth in who I am. I know I’m the righteousness of God. I know I am holy. I know I am secure in Christ. I know I am redeemed. I know I have peace with God. Yet agreeing with Christ about who I am wasn’t cutting it. Something else was “off.”
The tagline from "The Cure" from TrueFace then came to mind. “What if God isn’t who you think He is and neither are you?”
Bingo! That was it. We all typically believe lies about ourselves, but did you know we can believe lies about God, too?
I had to admit I was dealing with some hurt, anger, and distrust with God, to be honest. Maybe you are, too?
What we believe about our heavenly Father, or in other words—our concept of God—can alter how we perceive just about everything around us. What we believe about him determines how we interact with God. How we interact with God determines how we interact with others and even ourselves.
What do you believe about him on a feeling level on your worst day? Is He distant? Disappointed in you? One who abandons you? Easily angered? Undependable? A fault-finder?
We often take the faces of significant people from our past, hurtful experiences and events we have witnessed, or even how we feel about ourselves and paste them on the face of God. It’s not fair, but we still do it. And then, we get hurt or angry at Him, to add insult to injury.
But there’s a way out. How? By calling these views of God for what they really are—lies!
Father, I know I don’t see you correctly. I believe A, B, and C (fill in with your particular lies) about You. But your word says otherwise. I choose to believe that your Word is true and that you are actually 1, 2, and 3. (Fill in with the corresponding truth.)
Thank you for taking all the pain caused by my believing this lie onto yourself on the cross and bearing it for me. I gladly accept the exchange of your peace and your joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your love and grace, which allow me to destroy every obstacle and lofty lie that stops me from truly knowing you. I take every thought captive and make it say exactly what you say—no more and no less.
Amen.
How do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God? We renew our minds with truth.
Here are some truth statements about Father that especially resonated with me…
- When I feel like an insignificant to Him, remember . . . I am special and important to God. (Is 49:16 and Ps 18:19)
- When I believe He doesn’t care about how I feel, remember . . . God empathizes with my emotions. (Jn 11:35)
- When I think He doesn’t “get” me, remember . . . God listens and understands me. (Ps 40:1 and Heb 4:15)
- When I feel abandoned by Him in my horrible circumstances, remember . . . God will never leave me and is there when I need help. (Ps 139 and Psalm 46:1)
Here are some that may resonate with you…
- When I feel like God is disappointed in me and does not like me, remember . . . God is pleased and delighted with me. (Zeph 3:17 and Ps 18:19)
- When I feel God is distant, remember . . . God is close and surrounds me. (Ps 139)
- When I feel God holds back from me, remember . . . God is a giver of good things. (Matthew 7:11)
- When I feel God has certainly had enough of me, remember . . . God is patient and kind to me. (Rom 2:4)
- When I feel like God is impossible to talk with, if he even talks to me at all, remember . . . God is easy to talk to. (Hebrews 4:16 and Jeremiah 33:3)
- When I believe God is far-away, hostile, and rough, remember . . . God is gentle, loving, and warm. (Isaiah 40:11)
- When I feel God will backhand me for messing up, remember . . . God allows me to learn from my mistakes. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
Wow! What beautiful truth. Let's do something with it.
See all of those rocks in front of you? Let’s get back to our “truth project” now.
Using the beliefs above, in addition to some more, I wrote the incorrect view of God in black on one side of the rock. On the other side, in purple, I wrote the truth of who God is along with the scripture reference.
And then, when I had those moments where everything seemed to go wrong, I dumped the stones into my lap, reading truth aloud as I tossed each back.
By the time the rocks all landed back in my jar, my mind was set on truth, and I could again experience the peace which I had all along. It finally felt so much better internally.
You remember what Mama said, right? But, this is the only time when it’s ever okay to throw rocks—namely to yourself. Because as you do, eventually the falsehoods you believe about God will begin to stand out as distinctly as the black and purple ink on the stones, allowing you to easily distinguish when you are believing a lie.
No more shall we cry, "Uncle." Instead we shall call "Jesus Christ" and see through spiritual eyes that He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 10:10)
So, go ahead and try it. Toss some truth back into the jar of your mind. Now another. Pretty soon, the truth of who God is will invade your thoughts until His peace washes over you through the Holy Spirit.
May these truths continually remind you of the faithful and trustworthy nature of the only true rock—Jesus Christ!
"I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies."
We can all remind each other that the enemy of our soul has been defeated by the person of Jesus Christ—our cornerstone of truth.
As a special bonus to my readers, I'd like to share a resource with you that will encourage you as you are led through seeing the true character of God from the Word. Go ahead and let me know in the comments below, or feel free to contact me privately and I will get point you toward the resource.
Grace and peace to you all!
.....
Aleisha Cate
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe by going to the home page. You will receive a confirmation email, so please check your "junk" or "spam" folder. I have a free gift for all of my new friends which I will send through a welcome email. As always, feel free to share on social media or with another who may resonate with this message of hope. Blessings!
My friend, Sue Tell, also seems to hear Father through nature, as do I. She has also written a great post about 'big rocks' and feeling frazzled. Check it out here! https://suetell.com/big-rocks/