Last fall I was struggling with some issues. Some were health related, others weren’t. The nice thing with struggles is that you find yourself praying more often, at least that was the case for me.

One morning, on our walk, my husband stopped with the dog, so I went off the trail and walked down a slight slope that was rock covered and then headed back to the path. I walked right past the rock above before it registered what I’d seen.

I turned around and there was a rock with a perfect heart burrowed into it. While praying, in the midst of hundreds of rocks, I happened on this one. It was like God embraced me and said, “I love you. You are in My hands.”

I took that rock home, washed it, and left it on my bathroom sink where I would see it every day. Each time, I was reminded of God’s great love and my need to trust Him.

In January, I needed a gift for someone. I had purchased one, but the cats knocked it off the shelf and broke it. I don’t live close to shopping and had no idea what to do. Then I felt God nudging me to give her my heart rock.

At first, I objected. This was a rock given to me by God. It’s His message to me. Every time I see it, I think of Him. But that stubborn thought persisted so I gave the rock away.

Was it easy? No. But I came to realize something. That rock had become a stumbling block—something that was fast becoming an idol. In fact, I was reminded of the Israelites in Numbers 21: 4-9, when they complained and God sent poisonous serpents among them. To save the people, God gave Moses instructions.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:8-9 (NKJV)

The Israelites had something to look on that reminded them of God. That serpent on the pole didn’t heal them, but their faith in God as they looked on this reminder is what they needed. They could look at the serpent and God healed from the poison.

But something happened in the following years. Their attitude toward this serpent on the pole made by Moses changed. It became something different than God intended. We find this in 2 Kings 18, when King Hezekiah began his reign.

^“He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.” 2 Kings 18:4 (NKJV)

What had been given as a reminder of God, became an idol that the people worshipped. Over the years, they had forgotten the purpose of the serpent and made it into something that no longer glorified God.

I have to wonder how many things we have that start out as innocent reminders of who God is and become something too precious to let go of. I know that nearly happened with me. Now I am considering things I have that are precious and deciding if they have become a stumbling block to my faith.

While all the biopsies I had done last year were either nothing or benign, I have to remember how much God loves me. He didn’t send the heart rock to heal me but to remind me that He loves me and is there for me no matter what is happening in my life.

But I see now that it was time to let that rock go—to pass it on and let the person I gifted it to know it’s a reminder of God’s love. I am so very happy that I gave the rock away.

This past week I went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral show with my sister. We went to a favorite rock place where I picked up some rocks for my grandsons and she got some rocks for gifting. As I was walking up to check out, I noticed the septarian rocks below. I love these rocks and had wanted one but they are too expensive. My sister insisted I ask how much they were so I took them up with us.

The man running the shop was very nice. He weighed them and ended up giving me such a good deal that I bought both of them. It didn’t escape me that they are both hearts. Maybe someday in the future God will once again nudge me to give a heart rock to someone and remind them of how much He loves them. In fact, I might buy a few more just to have on hand for that purpose.