My Big Rock

Isaiah 28:16 See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested cornerstone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts in him will never be dismayed.

As we entered the auditorium last night to celebrate Easter, we were greeted by a row of bins brimming with rocks.  When I peered inside, I was catapulted back to a day in early August 2003.  My boyfriend and I were on an adventure in untamed Alaska.  One day we set out to hike to the precipice of a small roadside mountain.  For a bit we climbed together but eventually we both became enraptured in the quiet sounds of nature and the scent of untainted air.  We became separated.  When we reunited at the peak, my friend said, "I have something for you."

The small rock he placed in my hand didn't look so spectacular to me but in an attempt at politeness I smiled and urged him to proceed.  "A few years back," he continued, "I attended an executive seminar.  The leader gave us a small jar, a few large stones, many small ones and some sand.  He asked us to fill our jars with the provided materials.  None of us could make all the items fit in the jar.  The key he revealed to us was to place the largest items in the jar first.  Then and only then would everything fit.  The large rocks represented what was most important to us.  The message that we should place the highest priority on those whom we most love."  He paused, smiled and looked into my eyes as he whispered, "On this earth, you are my big rock."  It was at that precise moment that I knew I would someday become Mrs. Scott Milholland.

Today's passage is Matthew 21.  It's just a week before that first Easter Sunday.  Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem as the masses sing His praise.  But when Jesus began to meddle the worship withered.  Jesus recites a portion of the 188th Psalm, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

Because the stone was moved from His tomb that first Easter morning, Jesus is the Cornerstone.  He is the only sure foundation on which I can build my life.  Not every instruction He gives is easy to swallow or follow but when I choose to believe God's Word in faith I build my life on solid ground.

Jesus, this Easter I celebrate the power that rolled the stone from the tomb.  That same power removed the stone that was my heart and filled me with Your love.  That same power is the stone on which I choose to set my life.  Jesus, You are my big rock.