Tumbled and Polished
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’” *
Our recent trip
north for a short getaway turned out to be a little different than expected. We
were looking forward to spending a few days exploring and riding on some bike
trails which a friend of Al’s had highly recommended. However, in the rush of getting
ready to leave early one morning, the bike rack and bikes were left behind. By
the time we realized what had happened, it was too late to turn around; so, we
had to adjust our plans accordingly.
Instead of bike
riding, we spent an entire afternoon on the beach at Petoskey State Park along the
shore of Lake Michigan. As one young lad said, “If you’re in Petoskey, you have
to get Petoskey stones. That’s where they are!” Al and I joined many other
families and people on the beach looking for the fossilized coral, the state
stone of Michigan. Coming from a family of avid rock hounds, this was a real
treat!
My dad owned a
rock saw, polisher and tumbler. The operation from the raw material to a
polished, crafted stone was noisy and time consuming. Grandpa, also a rock
hound, faceted certain gems with a special machine, turning them into rings and
other jewelry. Mom made the settings for their finished masterpieces out of
silver. It was a great family hobby.
As a child, I
always enjoyed our trips to the coast where I would sit on the sand for hours,
sifting through brightly colored bits of shell and stones. Walking along the shore
of the lake half bent over, with my eyes focused on the piles of rocks at the
water’s edge brought back those childhood memories.
This particular
stone, a brownish rock with a turtle shell design, was not so easy to find. Another
beach comber told me that in years past they were very plentiful. I only found one
small specimen of the coveted Petoskey stone, along with agates, jasper, or a
combination of the two, and several rocks containing fossils of shells or
pieces of coral.
Most were rounded
and polished, tumbled by the constant movement of the waves and of the abrasion
from other stones over centuries. The weather was very pleasant, making it a
perfect afternoon for the two of us.
The next day we
drove to Nettie Lake, a few hours east from Petoskey, near Lake Huron. Nettie
Lake had also been highly recommended by the same friend, who not only enjoyed
the bike trails there but who also told us to be sure to watch for the loons on
the lake.
Al and I moved
into a little cabin on the lakeshore for two nights. There was a boat dock
close to the cabin with a row boat available for us to use. We heard the loons
calling in the evening and early in the morning, their lonely voices echoing
over the water. It was a peaceful and serene environment.
Rowing the boat
replaced riding the trails. He did the rowing while I soaked in the beautiful
scenery, a nice arrangement! The first place we wanted to see was the island on
which someone had built a small home. It didn’t take Al long to row around
it.
One simple cottage
was about all the tiny island could hold, with high water levels making the
idea of a house boat a real possibility! We heard later that the owners only
visited about once a year. Maybe trying to live such an isolated life wasn’t a practical
idea after all!
The tumbled rocks
piled together on the beach at Petoskey made quite a contrast to the scene of
the lonely house perched on the island. Sometimes we feel like isolating
ourselves from others, especially when tumbled and battered about by those who
are abrasive or abusive. Living out the Lord’s command to love one another as
we love ourselves is difficult and yet, He claimed that the second command was
similar to the first.
Just as we put everything
into loving God, so we put all of our energy into loving others. The end
result? Polishing! Our rough edges become smooth; others see Christ more
clearly in and through us and perhaps through our changed lives might discover
for themselves the joy of knowing Him.
*Matthew 22:37-39 NIV
Comments
Post a Comment