fantasy

a stationary stone

Posted on by Grace Day

Another for sale sign just popped up across the street. I am surprised by this because it happened so suddenly, without warning, without fanfare – it just appeared overnight – kind of like my dandelions, who, just when I think they are gone for good, reappear in full force, reclaiming my yard and declaring their intention of taking up permanent residence yet again. Sadly, the new for sale sign is doing just the opposite. Instead of signaling an arrival, this sign is announcing the departure of neighbors I know and love, which begs the question – “Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?” (yes, those words are lyrics from a once popular song)

I guess I am the answer to that rhetorical question. I stay in one place. I stay in one place while all around me people come and people go. I am the stationary stone. Others are the cool, proverbial “rolling stones” that are gathering no moss. They are traveling light, seeing the world. Meanwhile I am covered in moss.

Which begs the question “why and when did moss get such a bad rep?” I mean moss has many redeeming qualities if truth be told. A covering of moss over the stone is protection from the elements. It is warmth and comfort. It is adornment. Fancy, lacey moss or soft plush moss – vibrant colors – I’m sure all the non-rolling stones are comparing themselves to each other to see who has the prettiest, the fanciest, the most rare and exotic moss covering. Moss is a status symbol to the stationary stone. Moss can also be a cloak of comfort in cold, dark times.

But I guess to the rolling stone, moss is a burden, a hindrance that prevents it from rolling easily and smoothly on to the next thing. Sometimes I envy the rolling stone its freedom, thinking its life to be carefree and full of adventure. However, I like the comfort and familiarity of my moss and my mossy surroundings. Still, I think that stationary doesn’t have to mean stuck or sedentary. Maybe there is a season for staying and a season for rolling. Maybe there comes a time in every stone’s life to shed the moss and hit the road.

Such was the case with Abraham. Seems like he was definitely a stationary stone – until he got the call.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” (Genesis 12:1-5)

Abram was seventy-five when he was called by God to become a rolling stone, so he had probably acquired a lot of moss during his time as a stationary stone. And according to this account, it sounds like he took most of his moss with him. Not exactly traveling light. But he did have to leave behind “his country, his people and his father’s household.”

Maybe I prefer being a stationary stone because I don’t want to leave anything behind. I want to bring all my moss with me, but when stones really get rolling the moss falls away. It is inevitable. When the moss falls away, I will be exposed to the elements – to ridicule, to judging eyes. BUT – if God calls me to roll, He will provide the covering I need. After all, my Heavenly Father is in the business of clothing His creation –

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30)

God provided for the Israelites when He called them to leave Egypt and travel to the land He had prepared for them. They had been stationary in Egypt for over four-hundred years – it was time for them to shed their moss and roll! And God provided the covering of protection they needed as they traveled through the wilderness –

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22)

God watches over the stones He calls to leave their moss behind and roll. I have this assurance –

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4)

Isaiah said –

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)

Today I am a stationary stone. Tomorrow, God may call upon me to lose my moss and to roll. I want to be ready. After all, there is a time for everything.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

a time to be stationary, covered in moss, and a time to roll –

sincerely, Grace Day

pondering the pithy

Posted on by Grace Day

My neighbors are traveling – again. They have recently returned from one adventure only to embark on yet another travel adventure. I must admit – I am positively green with envy. This brings to mind the rolling stone – you know the one – the one that gathers no moss, right? Well, in this scenario, my neighbors are the rolling stones and I am the opposite of a rolling stone. I am the stationary stone. This would explain my envious green hue. Unlike my friends, the rolling stones, I have gathered plenty of moss. I am, in fact, covered in thick, green moss.

Although, if truth be told, there are plenty of times and seasons in my life, where I too, am a rolling stone. It is during these times of “rolling” that I lose my accumulated moss in the process of being no longer still, but in perpetual motion.

Still, I have to ponder the deeper question here. Is the implication of this often quoted, pithy saying that moss is a good thing or a bad thing? If the implication is that moss is a good thing, a desirable thing, then a rolling stone by virtue of its constant movement, is missing out on acquiring this valuable asset of moss. Moss does provide a warm and comforting layer of protection and adornment for the stone. So moss can be considered something good. This is one interpretation.

Or – is moss considered a burden – extra, unnecessary weight that slows the stone’s roll? Is the moss making the stone more beautiful or hiding the stone’s bare beauty? All these queries are a part of my pithy ponder.

It appears to me that to this point in my life, I have more often played the part of the stationary stone rather than the rolling stone. (must be why I have acquired so much moss) Neighbors have come and gone, friends have moved here and there, while I have been at the same address for many years. And I have the “moss” to verify my lack of “rolling” – a basement and a garage and closets full of the “moss” that accumulates with the passage of time. Are these “mossy” things that fill my home treasure or trash? That is open to interpretation.

But, fun fact. Time does have a way of turning trash into treasure. Ordinary objects become valuable antiques, sought after by collectors, when enough time has passed to turn them into rare and historical treasures. Ironically, moss is a sign that the “stone” has put down roots (so to speak) by virtue of staying in one place, even though moss itself has no roots. (moss has something called rhizoids which enable it to attach to a variety of surfaces)

Moss is a beautiful, velvety soft covering – a vibrantly colored plant that lives on every continent. That’s right. Moss grows in Antarctica and in the desert. Very versatile. So why would a stone want to cease its rolling and gather some moss? Maybe for the comfort a covering of moss provides? Perhaps for the protection or for the adornment of mosses’ emerald hues? Or could it be that the stone desires the moss that grows and flourishes with the connections that are formed, the community that arises, only when the stone stops its rolling?

But it’s hard to stop “rolling” in today’s culture. We are busy and we value busyness. So I too often keep on rolling and then wonder why I have no moss – no protective, comforting, decorative cloak and cover to keep me company. (who knew moss is a good companion?) This must be why God’s word says –

“Be still; and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

I don’t need to keep running – whether from something or in search of something. My Heavenly Father says I need only to be still. (and maybe gather some moss) He will meet me where I am. In fact, He says this –

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

And He says –

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15)

I guess that’s right. I too often resist being still in favor of that fever pitch at which we all seem to be living life. I’m afraid to slow down and cease my incessant rolling. Why? I blame FOMO. (fear of missing out) It’s a malady of our current day culture. BUT – my Heavenly Father has something else in mind for me (and for you) –

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” (Psalm 37:7)

“Do not fret”? Why? Because God’s got a better plan for me and for you too, dear readers. God gives us a wonderful invitation, if we dare to accept it and follow where He leads –

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2)

Doesn’t that sound inviting? A chance to stop rolling long enough to lie down and rest. I’m pretty sure there’s moss in those green pastures and moss on the stones beside those quiet waters. It is in this place of stillness that my Heavenly Father restores my soul, I receive much needed rest, and moss has a chance to grow a comforting, protective, decorative covering over my once rolling stony self.

This is an open invitation from my Heavenly Father, an invitation that I want to accept often. I never regret the time I spend in His green pastures, beside quiet waters, being still, being restored by the life-giving Presence of my Creator. I will “be still and know that He is God.” I will gladly cease my rolling and gather some moss until my Heavenly Father calls me to “roll” again, to follow Him to some new adventure.

sincerely, Grace Day