A few months ago, my friend Alston was speaking at a Garden gathering and she spoke about altars of remembrance. She explained how in Joshua 3, God told Joshua to have twelve chosen men—one from each tribe, gather twelve stones from the Jordan River to make a memorial.
“and Joshua said to them, “Cross over again to the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.””
Joshua 4:5-7 AMP
Since then, I have tried to be intentional about remembering all the things Father has done for me. Some of the memories are big and life-changing, some are small and might even seem silly to other people. But each one speaks of His goodness and faithfulness to me.
I remember….having a really hard morning and opening a Dove chocolate and the wrapper said “You know what? You look good in red!” I was wearing a red shirt that day! I felt so seen and loved in that moment.
I remember…. feeling so held by Him when I had a miscarriage. My heart was breaking, but He sent friends and family to love us well through that time. My mom even flew back from India and my cousin flew down from Canada so we didn’t have to walk through that by ourselves.
I remember….being so frustrated with my old car because it was keyless and sometimes the fob wouldn’t work so the car wouldn’t start. I’d say, “I just want a car with a key!” And guess what? When we bought our van a few years later, there was an actual key.
I remember….when we found out about my son’s heart defect and genetic disorder. I heard Father say that His blood speaks a better word than the result of any blood test. He was there in the operating room, guiding the hands of the surgeon, and He’s been there for every appointment, hospital stay, and therapy session since. My son exceeds every expectation that the doctor’s have given him, because my God is faithful to keep His word!
I remember….when my oldest son lost his toy and was very upset so we prayed and Holy Spirit showed us where to find it. He cared about something as little as my son’s lost toy because He’s a good Father and He cares about what we care about!
I remember….feeling so lonely and praying/crying out for friends and godly community and He brought me to the Garden. He gave me these amazing women who have supported me, loved me, and continuously pointed me to the Father’s heart.
I could go on and on remembering what He’s done for me. Each memory is a stone in my altar that shows the history of His goodness towards me.
Our history.
And when my children ask, “what do these stones mean to you” or, for a more current translation, “how do you know that God will do what He said He will do,” I will tell them the story of each stone and remind them that because He was faithful then, He’ll be faithful now.
-Natasha A.