I went on a hike yesterday.  In addition to the physical fatigue, a few feelings and images linger: the staggering power of the wind on the mountaintop, the breathtaking beauty of the sunset at the end of the day, and the rocks.

Rocks, you ask?  Those colorless, motionless, lifeless objects?  I know…  it seems strange.

I’m reminded of my ninth-grade earth science teacher.  “Rocks can talk to us,” he used to insist.  As I scaled those boulders, I couldn’t help but think about the ways in which they have been shaped by the elements.  A rock’s color, its position, its texture: all stories of the years gone by.

You and I are presented with situations and experiences, too.  The currents of our lives and relationships are sometimes bumpy and almost always unpredictable.  Like rocks, we can be shaped and changed by these facets of life.  Or we can make a different choice…

We have been created in God’s image.  God longs to melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us in profound ways.  God aches to move in our lives and to transform our hearts, souls, and minds.

Which choice will you make?  Will you allow your circumstances to batter and bruise you?  Or will you embrace our God who will recreate and transform you into a thing of great glory.

When we cling to God’s steadfast love, God will revive us, restore us, and sustain us morning by morning.  The reward is great.  Great is God’s faithfulness!