This month marks one year that I have been contributing these Chats to the YMCA monthly newsletter. Anniversaries are important as milestones in our life, marking special events that we can look back at with meaningful memories. We stop, name and hold that moment in a sacred way, then move onward into the future.
The Bible has examples of this as well. 1 Samuel 7:12 marks one such example. The prophet Samuel sets up a stone marker and names it Ebenezer, which he explains signifies that God had helped them thus far. Joshua offers another excellent example in excerpts from Joshua 4:1-9 – After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, “Choose 12 men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, ‘Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’ So Joshua summoned the 12 men he had selected and said to them, ‘…this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, “What do these stones mean to you?” you should tell them, “The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters were cut off.” Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.’”
Life with God leads to service for God, and through that service we experience highs and lows; these can be marked by spiritual milestones that we can look back upon and learn. I wonder: What milestones are important to you? What spiritual Ebenezers have you raised in memorial of God’s work in your life? If you are walking closely with Him, then it becomes inevitable that milestones are made.
I want to encourage you to take some quiet time to consider the important times in your own journey that demonstrate clearly God’s presence and work in your life. Celebrate those high moments, and reflect deeply upon the low moments, memorializing them in your spirit. Share the time with God, rejoicing anew in the glorious victories He delivers through our lives. He loves you, my friend – and so do I.
- Chaplain Brian