Last spring I was walking along the beach in Summerland with a dear friend. It had been a really difficult week - spiritually, academically, emotionally - and I needed a good friend to walk and pray with. The sound of the water and our quiet prayers soothed my turbulent emotions. How good it is to have dear friends to walk beside us when the day is messy and confusing! In a moment of silence, I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to pick up stones off the shore. So I did. Five of them. One for each of my friends that I was praying for. Then, the most beautiful thing happened. I heard a voice speak deep into my heart saying, "I will make you like these stones. Once they were jagged and rough, but because of the constant waves washing over them, they are smooth. They reflect the transformative power of the waves. So you five will be a reflection of Me." And then an intoxicating feeling of peace and thankfulness flooded my insides.
I chose "smoothing the stones" as the title for my blog because it is a significant and defining moment for me and because I hope to live out the experience in my life. I believe that I will. And I hope that this space for writing will allow me to further explore thoughts and feelings I have and to allow them to be smoothed. To allow them to be tranformed to reflect the beauty of God. I have quite a few rough edges that still need smoothing. In fact, it is my hope that I do not let my own insecure fear of disapproval keep me from writing truth when it might be risky. Frederich Buechener said, "If the truth is worth telling, it is worth making a fool of yourself to tell." May I make a fool of myself here before I skirt the truth.
If you are reading this blog, I hope that it blesses you, perhaps challenges you, and, most of all, brings you into conversation with me about what I have written. I believe that true transformation in the world depends on small, interpersonal conversations and people entering into those conversations with a willingness to be transformed. If anyone reads this, may your words transform me as you respond to my writing.
