What Do These Stones Mean?

Those of us who have been around for a while….

…Remember Zig Ziglar from his positive approach to life, leadership, and commitment to a better way of living. Some of his books and audio files are in my library. His way of speaking is something I remember from auditoriums where he is presenting his message, and I sit enthralled at his style and delivery.

His son, Tom, is following in his footsteps and posts regular messages from his dad’s archive.

This morning, Tom sent out this tweet, and it simply grabbed me and made me think about the validity of the foundation we are building on. Honesty. Character. Integrity. Faith. Love. Loyalty. Each one a valuable commodity to spend generously everywhere we go, and in everything we do.

Again, I think about the foundation to the temple in Jerusalem, and the strength those long and massive beams portray to those of us walking beneath the Western Wall. Not just the blocks seen above ground, but those buried deep to the bedrock, giving strength and stability to the generation of stacked blocks above.

I think about my fore-bearers who have laid foundation to country, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I think about God who built the foundation of all life and the building blocks that are so minuscule you need special equipment just to know that DNA exists, and I am sure there is more there that we just have not yet found.

Jordan River

Then my mind roamed to the story of Israel finally leaving the wilderness and entering into the promised land. As they crossed the Jordan River,

“Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, …. ” ~(Joshua 4:4-7 KJV)

Then ye shall answer them.… Stones we build our lives upon require an answer as to their meaning. Without teaching and training we do not simply “know” the definitions of such words.

Honesty. Character. Integrity. Faith. Love. Loyalty.

These never come into question, when we learn them, use them, live them before everyone, and then teach them to the next generation that follows. Because, our children will ask…. And we better have a good answer!