A Typical Pond

Ponds are interesting places. As a young boy growing up in New Jersey, sometimes I would wander down through our small orchard on hot muggy summer days to a wooded area with two small ponds. This was my private place for practicing skipping stones as well as enjoying the effects of a rock slamming down into water.

Undoubtedly you too have watched a perfectly glass smooth surface be destroyed by a single rock making its stupendous splash entry. Then the concentric ripples  expand until they strike the shore only to bounce back again. And if you launch a whole collection of rocks out upon a pond, tranquility is shattered by visual chaos.

Our Lives as Ponds

The next time we are tempted to speak or act in a manner unbecoming of the calling we have received to serve God, let’s remember what a rock does to a pond. Ungodly actions and words are very much like throwing rocks into the pond of our life. If we think “this rock will not make any difference,” we deceive ourselves. Although some consequences might not be immediately obvious, they will follow. The more we succumb to throwing rocks in our pond, the choppier, more chaotic and complex our lives will become.

To Throw or Not To Throw?  That is the Question

Since God is not mocked because we will reap what we sow and since Jesus came to give us life to the full, why do we experience strong urges (temptations) to hurl rocks into our ponds? Two common reasons: seeking instant gratification or  shifting our focus from God toward this world.

Temptations are sneaky and appealing. "Everyone will know that I’m in the know” encourages gossip. Then there are those rocks savoring revenge, contemplating some immoral fantasy, lying to save our own skin, or simply believing that acquiring more will satisfy. When the drive to satisfy such internal desires grows, the craving wages war against what is right to produce "confusion."

Preserving & Restoring Your Pond

Through Christ, God has made it possible for our lives to be restored. We can have peace with God and enjoy the tranquility of a smooth pond with a clean conscience. Real hope exists for chaos.

While Christ may not resolve all of the ricocheting consequences from past sins, he does restore our souls and guides us into a lifestyle where we will not throw new stones. Being made new in our minds fortifies us against deceitful destructive desires.

Since desires are fueled by thoughts, if we will ponder a rock’s havoc this can provide a pause to weaken a temptation. Furthermore, remembering the beauty, tranquility and full life Christ offers invites us to redirect our focus and desires upon what is healthy and godly.

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Barry Newton

Barry has worked with congregations in Texas, California and Brazil. He and his wife Sofia have two sons. He believes we should love God above all and that to honor this principle will shape daily decisions and silence competing values. Furthermore, we ought to love people in those ways we would like to be treated.

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