Giants, Rocks or Stone Shaped-Hearts, and God's Love ~

One day in November of 2023, [I truly can't believe it was that long ago for in my mind it started in January] I was heading out the driveway and looking down I saw a dark rock/stone in the shape of a heart. Being a lover of rocks etc. I snatched it up. 

This started a surprising over the next several days in through December, the 'I could hardly believe it times' when I kept seeing heart-shaped stones in which I gathered up. They were visibly all over the drive and property.

Not all are perfect, but you can make out a heart shape in them, many better than others.

You could say some might be a bit questionable but to the collector you can see the heart.

Seeing these heart-shaped rocks have continued on throughout the winter.

I haven't a clue as to how they came to be, or how I seem to keep seeing them?

My sister said someone might be sending them from heaven. :)

All different sizes and colors, some with imperfections and neat designs.

 

3.19.24

Overall, I have collected around 54 that you can see the shape good to okay. Now what to do with all the rocks/stones. Which is it rocks or stones?

I had a discussion with my favorite grandson :) (only) and shared with him what I wanted to do with the lot. I shared that I knew a young girl around his age that was battling a giant. This giant as far as I know is not known. So, I can't say what it is exactly, but it is something that has been making her ill and has been battling for a while. She also likes collecting rocks and told me that her favorite is river rock that she can paint. 

She also knows David's faith in God and God's love for her. I think that's where the "heart-shaped" stones come into play. I believe they also represent the LORD Jesus who is our ROCK. The heart simply is God's love.

Is a rock the same as a stone? I read on the internet there seems to be a different answer for many. Here are a few. 

Earth Science - Geology a rock is an object and stone are a substance.

Geeks for Geeks - Rocks can range in size from small pebbles to large mountain ranges. Stones are smaller, often hand-sized or smaller. 

Quora (in which a gentleman answered on the forum a geologist for 38 years) said Rock is natural material. Stone is rock material used by humans as suggesting - Rocks lie on the ground. When David picks a rock up off the ground and uses it to kill Goliath, we call it a stone. He went on with some other descriptive thoughts, as with rock it can lay beneath the surface but in the end shared it was okay to use the words interchangeably and to just be aware of the subtle differences in language use. Interesting.

I'm hoping my young collector friend will like the stones and put them to a creative use. Maybe I'll be able to post a picture of the outcome! God is also a collector / caretaker of our hearts.

I think I picked up, 

All the hearts 

You showed me. 

I didn’t have to 

Look so hard  

To see each one  

In front of me. 

Some are more visible 

With there outlined curve, 

Smooth and clean. 

The rest are hidden, 

Embodied with rougher shapes, 

Not as pristine. But ~ 

Still there to see. 

O’ Father if I  

Could only see  

The hearts You’ve 

Place before me. 

As You see them ~ 

VLB 

3.25.24 6:45AM 

For me what the ‘heart-shaped’ stones also represent for this post.  

I sometimes fail miserably to see what is in front of me. When my eyes are focused on something other than You. I can be deceived thinking I might not be. O’ Father that I would cling and focus ever on You ~ VLB 3.26.24 6:30AM 

David used simple stones to slay a giant and it wasn’t just a giant that day. David a small boy had faith and confidence in the Lord to face what was hard for grown men to face because of their lack of _____. I'm sure you can fill in the blank with your own thoughts. We also face giants at times and many of them. I don't imagine it will change soon. 

Youngsters today also face giants whether it is an illness, a bully, peer pressure at their schools, media, an unhappy home, lack of nutrition I'm sure the list could go on awhile. One thing my grandson said to me when he was seven, I like sharing this, when eating something he did care for; he said, "gramma I might not like this, but I'll deal with it!" I told him that is the most grown-up thought for a kid his age, for there were many grow-ups that don't know how to deal with things they might not like. He was pleasantly surprised answering "really!" It was a big deal for him to hear that. :)

Do you have a ROCK to stand on and a stone to use? Do you have faith to exercise as David to slay your giants? Do you know the LOVE God has for you? Do you know sometimes we might fail but to know the LOVE God has for us and His ability with His Holy Spirit in us, mixed with a measure of faith we can take a simple stone to slay our giants.

Much like us, the heart-shaped stones are representative of us - we were all created by God who loves us with all. Even with our different shapes and sizes, all our imperfections whether smooth or rough, good or bad days with regrets and failures, there is no difference to how God loves us. We can trust Him with everything His outcomes are ALWAYS the best. Amen

Here is a previous post you might like.  Fighting Giants

 

When Someone Is Missed.

 

I must have been dreaming.

But it was so real.

There was something exciting to tell you,

Excitement I could feel ~

I jumped up and went out to find you,

Then I remembered you were gone.

I must have been dreaming.

It was sad to recall,

You weren't there at all.

I thought, how stupid!

What was I thinking?

I was stunned to remember,

Then, I couldn't remember

what I wanted to tell you.

I thought how stupid.

To not just think, but

to feel it was so real.

It was sad to recall,

You were no longer there at all.?

Were my thoughts

playing a trick on me?

I wondered off and on

throughout the day.

I truly can't remember,

what I even wanted to say.

This odd feeling just came over me.

It took me back in time.

All it was, was a memory

Of knowing you were mine.

Now it's just a dream

That felt so real to me.

I guess that's just the way it is~

And will remain to be.

Whan someone is missed.

3.6.24 VB

Possibly the blossoms

Coming into bloom

A time for new beginnings

A time we long for ~

3.8.24 VB

My beloved speaks and says to me; "Arise, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away." Song of Solomon 2:10-13 ESV

What We Do ~

I Do ~ I have been blessed with being a part of my church’s prayer chain. I did not sign up for it so I cannot confirm how I became a part of this ministry. I will say that many times I feel, rather, know I fail at this or feel inadequate at best. I have been blessed, ‘above phrase,’ I do believe this to be true even though I believe I fail. Others might say this is not so. We can be our hardest critic ~ On this prayer chain we receive texts with each request. I do not know if others do this I have in the past, but I decided to write them down in one of my small notebooks, then I can actively lift the request up and not be looking at my phone all the time. This leads me to the reason for what I am sharing. I have several notebooks quite the collection, spiral and not, journal book type, etc... The list could go on and on as I use them for other things such as journaling. Anyway, I started writing the prayers out and then misplaced the notebook – no, I actually believed I misplaced it thinking it to be in a different notebook than the one I used. I kept asking myself, “where did you put it!” since I looked in the one, I thought I was using. I knew I started writing them out. In my mind I kept seeing or thinking about another but dismissed it. Of course, the prayers are still on my phone but where was the notebook? Next day. . . This morning early, I woke up thinking about it and saw in my mind the ‘notebook.’ Now noon, I remembered the notebook walked right to the container it was in. And – it was where I first thought when I dismissed it!! God always gives me little messages to share. This would be – How often does the Holy Spirit show us something which we dismiss thinking it is not so or from Him even assuming we have a better way or idea? If I had gone with my first thought, it would have saved time that could have gone to better use. However, “maybe this is a good use” of time I was allowed and blessed with a reminder: Trust the Lord with what He is showing you. And the more time well spent with Him You will trust Him better/more. VB 12/29/2023 I cannot say you will always listen or not do something foolish. I do know He is ALAWYS faithful. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8