Sticks and Stones 
~The material I write is birthed in gritty, sweaty, gut wrenching experience. This piece is no different than any other. My words, ink dipped in the quell of human experiences, metaphorical and rich from suffering, joy, and beautiful lessons my amazing children teach me daily about my Creator's love for me. Sticks and Stones comes after a hiatus of over 5 months. After a season of still and quiet, holding on for dear life, and believing for greatness through the storms in life. My testimony is that yes reader... you are greater than any suffering you may face. You are greater because of the stick and stone. Hold on dearest... you are right where you are supposed to be......
So much in the last 4 months has taught me the art of intentionality. Every choice, every word, action, one after the other bears tremendous weight and influence. We are all influencers; carrying with us a little bag of stones........
Sharp, smooth, shiny, jagged..... each a story from our own experience. They can carry us, or we can carry them. What we do with each stone; how we carry this weight mirrors our heart. As a man thinketh, so he is. The message our stones carry in tandem with the force we take it from our little bag and toss (or THROW) produce ripples that have the power to change the trajectory of a generation... maybe even two generations. How deep of an impact will that disturbance make? Our stones can be used to build up, encourage, and bear witness of beauty. Or our stones can be thrown in accusations, oftentimes unintentionally and sometimes to purposefully damage.
We bear a responsibility for our stones' throws. Carelessly toss one at another in a put down, sarcasm, humor at another's expense and you've created a ripple. Breathe a gentle word of kindness in a stone offering and a different ripple takes form.
Intentionality..........
Before he was King......
David, the perceived illegitimate, misfit, and forgotten carried his sling and stones. The misunderstood and tossed aside young shepherd boy with nothing to offer an oppressed people held a bag of stones.
David knew of bullies.
He was surrounded by them. But there was one we know of well, a giant bully. This terrorizing, manipulating, and havoc wreaking bully met his match with a young shepherd misfit boy. With only a song in his heart, a prayer on his tongue, and a shout of praise and victory in the name of the Lord as his battle cry, a small misunderstood misfit reached into his bag, took a small stone. His stone that mirrored his heart of steadfastness was hurled in his worship battle cry. With only a stick and a tiny stone, the GIANT bully fell to the ground dead.......
Jesus had a stick and stones...
When the bullies swarmed around the woman in the street, caught in her harlotry, they threw stones at her. Fierce accusations, hate, seething with self-righteous piety, with intention to destroy her for her "unforgivable acts." Each stone mirroring their own hearts.
Jesus took a stick and wrote in the sand.....
What he wrote is a mystery. Perhaps he wrote all of the offenses of
the bullies right there in the sand for all to see....
But as he stood with a stone in hand, he offered just one bully the opportunity to hurl that jagged fierce accusing stone at the helpless. The bullies' own stones meant to shatter that mirror. Instead, as Jesus extended the stone, they walked away in defeat. Jesus, the Stone that was rejected by their jagged hearts....He not with accusation, extended that sharp stone with the force of GRACE. Jesus, with his stick and stone, offered kindness, love forgiveness.
And I return now to David who defeated a Bully with a stone, calling on the name of the Lord. The mirror of his heart. I choose kindness, love forgiveness with my stones. With my stick, I write to inspire my audience to walk in their own authenticity and intentionality. Your stones.... Do they purely mirror your heart? You carry the Power to change generations either way.
