A Memorial to the Lord

“Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord... These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Joshua 4:5b-7

My son lost his first tooth tonight. We took a video to send to the grandparents. We took a picture to post on social media. The tooth was carefully preserved in a zip lock bag with today's date written in permanent marker on it. And my wife has already discussed with him where this tooth will be stored while it waits for the rest of its companions to follow suit.

This is what people do. It's part of the human condition to want to remember important moments, major accomplishments, and significant commitments that we make. So, we celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries. We hang diplomas on our walls. We keep pictures of ourselves in our early twenties in peak physical condition so we can remember the glory days. And we save baby teeth. We seem to want to memorialize everything. But we don't always do a good job of doing this in our spiritual lives. 

As Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry ground he told them to have a representative from each of the twelve tribes pick up a large stone from the middle of the river. When they were on the other side, Joshua used these stones to build a memorial to serve as a sign of the great miracle God performed by parting the river. Not only would this serve as a reminder for those who were there that day, but it would also give them an opportunity to teach others what God had done. It was a physical witness to future generations of Israelites and to the nations around them of God's great miracle.  

Here we find an example for us to follow. It's important for us to remember and mark the significant spiritual events in our lives. We should celebrate the ways God has provided for us and remind ourselves of God's goodness, so we won't forget to praise Him for what He's done. We also need to tell others of God's faithfulness and especially be sure we pass down to our kids what we learned about God from these experiences.  

So, what has God done in your life? When did He make Himself most real to you? Was it at your salvation? Was it a miracle you witnessed? A physical healing or spiritual delivery? Was it how He provided for you in a time of need? Or how He led you when you needed special guidance or direction?

Whatever it was, prayerfully consider how you might memorialize that event. Put up some physical witness to that event around your house or in your life. This memorial will glorify God and honor Him for what He did, and it will also give you occasion to teach others about what God has done for you.