Christ Current

I went on a walk on a trail that winds through the trees. It is a very peaceful walk that I frequent, one where I can easily connect more deeply with God. I seldom see other people on this trail. 

As I was walking, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a colorful purple stone leaning against a tree. I said, “That’s interesting. How did it get there?” So I walked up to it and noticed a cross painted on it.

Curiosity led me to pick it up and examine it. When I turned the stone over, I discovered a Bible verse on it: John 15:7. 

“If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

I smiled, contemplated the verse, and kept walking. About a quarter of a mile later, I saw another colorful stone, tucked behind some weeds and leaning up against the bridge.

I picked it up, read it, and found another verse on it: Luke 1:37. 

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

I smiled and proclaimed, “That’s right!” I started to wonder who put all the stones there. Certainly, this couldn’t be for me, but knowing God, it could be. At that point, I became excited like a child on a scavenger hunt. I was very invested and excited about the next stone I expected to find on this scavenger hunt I just so happened to walk into. 

The Gift of Paying Attention

As I continued walking, I thought about what might have happened if I had not been living in the present moment, taking in the sights and sounds of this nature walk. I would have never noticed these colorful stones. Instead, I could have been walking around with my head down, unobservant of my surroundings, looking at my phone.

How many things do we miss when we are not present?

God is always speaking to us, through His Word, through the sounds of nature, a beautiful sight in the sky, a gentle breeze, or through unsuspecting people and things. We must be open to receiving, hearing and experiencing God through all the ways He is able. And He is able in more ways than we know. 

A Childlike Curiosity

I found a third stone with one of my favorite verses on it: Luke 9:24.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

As I left the trail that day, I was smiling and overjoyed. I thought again about the person who laid the stones there and wondered if they were thinking about whether they would make any difference to someone. 

Was it worth painting the stones and verses and placing them on this path? Would anyone notice them? Would anyone care?

How often do we think that way? We may wonder whether some simple action or simple sharing of the Word with someone will make any difference at all. But look at what these little stones did for me. 

They led me into a deep reflection about God. They altered the course of my day. This little scavenger hunt was a great encouragement to me, and whoever laid those stones there has no idea!

Whoever did this lived out the truth of Ephesians 5:19 and Hebrews 3:13: We are called to encourage one another daily with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, as long as it is called today.

More Stones

I returned to this trail the next day. I wasn’t expecting to find any more stones. And yet, two more stones showed up overnight! One said: 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
— Mt 28:19

The other:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength
— Mk 12:30

I was overjoyed once again over these little stones tucked into nature. Again, I found my mind drifting into reflection. There is something about this experience that goes beyond simple noticing. It isn’t just the awareness but also the curiosity and desire to go deeper. I could have easily noticed the colorful stones, acknowledged them, thought, that’s interesting, and kept walking. But something within me, something childlike, drew me over to examine that first stone and pick it up. 

I didn’t know there was going to be writing on the other side. It was only when I picked it up and flipped it over that I discovered it. 

There Is More Beneath the Surface

This reminds me of picking up rocks as a child. A rock can be smashed down on top of the soil, seemingly covering nothing more than dirt. But when you pick it up, you see all the life beneath it that you never expected to find. If you dig deeper, there’s more life to be found. 

And that is how life is in Christ and digging deeply into His Word. There is always a new treasure to be found! He has so much more for us as His children.

It was only picking up the rock and reading the verse on the other side that brought my mind even deeper into God’s heart. What appeared to be an ordinary stone became an invitation to look beneath the surface.

How often is Scripture like that?

We read a verse and think we understand it. But when we linger, when we ask questions, when we return to it, when we compare it with another passage, suddenly something else begins to emerge. 

There is more beneath the surface.

Moses Turned Aside

This brought forth the imagery of Moses when he was walking and saw a burning bush. He could’ve said, “Wow, that’s interesting. That bush is on fire, but it is not being consumed by the fire,” and kept walking. But he didn’t. He had enough curiosity to pause and walk up to the bush to investigate. 

Why is this bush burning up? Why are these colorful stones placed here? What is the deeper meaning of this verse? How does this verse connect with another one? Maybe there is something deeper to be learned here. 

And it was because Moses walked up to that bush that everything changed.

Notice something else in the account of Moses in Exodus:

So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
— Ex 3:3-4

When We Draw Near

Have you ever noticed that detail? 

It was only when God saw that Moses turned aside to look that He called to him. Moses made a decision to draw near and God spoke. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (Jas 4:8)!

There is something powerful about turning aside. We can walk past. We can remain distracted. We can notice something but never investigate it.

Or we can stop.

We can turn aside. We can draw near. We can ask questions. We can become curious about what God may be revealing. It is amazing when God gives us eyes to see, but there is always an invitation to look closer.

A Scavenger Hunt Through the Word

This little scavenger hunt reminds me of how exciting and wonderful it is when we yield to the greatest Teacher, the Holy Spirit, who takes us on a scavenger hunt into the treasure chest of the Word. 

When we have sensitivity to the movement and flow of the Holy Spirit, we can read one verse and then, all of a sudden, another verse comes to mind, then another, until we traveled all over Scripture! Different verses suddenly begin to connect from the Old Testament to the New Testament. A verse we’ve read dozens of times suddenly lights up in a new way. A passage we once struggled to understand suddenly opens up. A word or phrase catches our attention, leading us somewhere else. 

When we have curiosity as God’s children, He takes us deeper, and we gain an even greater awe of Him.

Digging Deeper

We must not simply just brush the surface of verses. We can ask the Holy Spirit to take us deeper, where all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Sometimes we brush past verses because they are difficult. But when we return to them repeatedly, asking the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth, we can gain a real grasp of them. 

We should keep digging. Keep searching. Keep asking. Until what we have discovered sinks deep into the well of our hearts.

Colossians 2:3 tells us that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Ultimately, every verse coalesces to Christ. That is what these stones led me to. They started as colorful rocks along a trail. But they became an invitation to pay attention, to become curious, to turn aside, to look beneath the surface, and to seek the treasures hidden in Christ. Each little rock brought me into deeper awe of the Rock of Ages.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Join me in being still in the present today, with eyes open, including the eyes of our hearts, so we don’t miss anything God is putting before us. Sometimes we can become so distracted, even with the worries of tomorrow, that we miss what He is providing today.

Maybe it will be a verse. Maybe it will be a conversation. Maybe it will be a simple message from someone. Maybe it will be something in nature. Maybe it will be a seemingly insignificant moment that catches your attention. Don’t be so quick to walk past it!

Turn aside and look.

The Spirit is always flowing and desiring to take us deeper into the Father’s heart. There is always another treasure to be discovered, but every treasure ultimately leads us to our greatest Treasure—God Himself (Gen 15:1).