Stepping Stones

My mom has a slate rock patio, made of dozens of flat 6-12" slate pieces that she found in area forests, carted home,and dug individually into the perfect position in the ground. I raked away the leaves that covered her lovely patio, and my folks and I sat in lounge chairs surveying the slowly improving back yard. As we looked out over the areas that remained to be raked, Dad mentioned that now what was needed was a slate pathway from the sunroom door to the slate patio. It is about 30 feet long. He didn't direct that comment to me, but it was clear he and Mom were not likely to do it.

"That's a lot of work,"said Mom.
"Oh no," he said, "Just plop the slate down in a row."
"I had to dig in every single one of these patio pieces," she pointed out, "And carried in every piece of slate from wherever I could find it."
The subject was dropped.

I had a full job yesterday digging a trench around their front yard line of bushes and then mulching. It looked splendid when I finished. I was dripping sweat and my new haircut looked anything but chic. My folks had a doctor appointment, but before they left, I asked if there was another job they would like me to do while they were gone. They asked me to transplant some wandering pachysandra that had hopped outside of the area they were supposed to be contained in, and also to dig up some day lilies and move them to the fence line. The transplant victims were right along the path where my dad had envisioned a slate path.

When they left, I began transplanting and was surprised how soft the ground was and how easy it was to dig. Perhaps that slate path was not out of the realm of possibility. I would be able to gather slate from the yard and would just put in a stone about every 5 feet. Well, I did so, and realized it would look much better if I put a stone in between each stone. After doing that, I decided the gaps in the path were still too large and dug in more slate stepping stones. Two hours later, with dirt deeply embedded in my nails, my hair a dripping frizzy wild mass, and my hands aching, a full lovely path had been created.

I didn't think I had it in me to make a thirty foot slate pathway. However, I had been surprised to see I could do a less than perfect pathway, and bit by bit, it got better. Pretty soon, I would not have stopped if my life depended on it until the pathway was complete.

Here is the lesson.

No one should avoid doing good because they don't think they have it in them. Even one stone on a muddy path is better than none.And quite often, once one stone is laid, the next one seems a little easier. It is not unlike the path of faith. Step by feeble step, as we move towards God, God reveals Himself, and what begins as a mustard seed grows into the mightiest of trees.

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Psalm 25:4-5 

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 37:23-24 

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

2Kings 3: 16-17

"And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus
saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that
valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle,
and your beasts."