“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ⛪” (Mt 16:18)
Whenever I come across these rock structures created by others, I often wondered how they do that, especially given the odd shapes and sizes of the rocks used. It wasn’t until I was walking along the shoreline of Lake Tekapo which was filled with these rocks that I suddenly felt prompted to have a go at it, and make my own rock towers.
To my surprise, it was easier than I thought. Apart from following the simple rule of choosing the larger and heavier stones first, it simply required me to examine each rock carefully, understand its shape and structure, and patiently find its center of gravity as I place it on top of another stone in such a way that it complements the stone below and achieves balance for the entire structure. Rarely do I find myself rejecting a stone, and often try to turn it around at different angles until I find its best fit to the rest of the structure.
If you think about it, God choose one of the most ‘jagged’ and ‘irregular’ of rocks upon which to build His Church. Peter was impulsive, overconfident, speaks out against Jesus and even denies Him. Yet God didn’t reject him. He simply took time to examine him, understand his character and strengths, and eventually turned him around to find the best fit in which to build His Church along with the other equally ‘irregular’ apostles.
I believe God does the same with us. Not one of us is ever too ‘irregular’, ‘chipped’, ‘worn out’ to be used by Him to build His church. Not one of us is ever too small or too large, too heavy or too light, too notorious or too insignificant, to ever be placed on top of another with whom we can complement, and achieve balance and solidarity given the right fit.
Yet this requires us to also patiently allow God to turn us around, to help us understand our true nature and character, to reveal our inherent strengths and potential, in order for Him to place us in the best fit with others where we truly belong, and become part of His church to bring glory to Him.
“Through Him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord.” (Eph 2:21)
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