A Single Reflection
Column by Eileen Hershberger

Life is seasons and the only consistent thing about it, is the fact that it constantly changes. The last while my life has been a continuous sea of change and I’ve had to deal with a lot of unexpected things that are, in all honesty not very easy to deal with, especially for someone like me who is often quite content with things the way they are. I find myself struggling in knowing how to help a grieving friend who lost her father recently. Another is dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and still another is dealing with an unwanted medical diagnosis. There is the looming reality of student teaching in a few weeks, and then the process of finding a new job. There is the lingering disappointment of waiting for a call that never came. All these things conspire to leave me wondering how to deal with it and whether or not I will survive this season of change. However, in the midst of these things, I am discovering anew a truth of God's word in that He is a rock.

When I think about a rock, I picture the huge rock my mother has used in her landscaping for as long as I can remember. It was great to play on as a child. There was room for at least two people to sit on it and was often the imaginary horse my brothers and I rode to town and back. Other days it provided a good hiding place during a game of hide and seek. No matter what we played, this rock was always ready to be used for something. We had to be careful not to ruin the flowers blooming around the rock, if we wanted to be able to continue to use it in our play but this rock was always there.

The psalms are full of word pictures of God as a rock, a refuge and a fortress. Psalm 18:2 says “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge: My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” He is the one I go to when it’s all too much to handle and I am completely overwhelmed. Just like the rock I played on as a child, God is always there; ready to be my deliverer, my rock and my shield.

Psalm 71:3 says, “Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.” I love what the word habitation conjures in my mind ... a place that is comfortable, homey, snug and safe. And I keep coming back to this place. Nothing can take it away. It is always going to be there; this place of habitation, for it is where God dwells.

Psalm 18:30-31 says, “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” While I don’t understand or have any explanations for things that have happened this summer, I know God's way is blameless and He really is the only rock I have in my life that is completely unmovable. He is not overwhelmed or surprised by things I find hard to deal with.

And Psalm 31:1-3 says, “In You, O lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me. Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name's sake you will lead me and guide me.” A rock of strength ... a fortress. These words lend themselves to pictures of an old castle, which nothing can penetrate. This is a place where I rest, am renewed, and receive strength for the day. Here is where I find direction and guidance, resting in the rock of my salvation.

God’s word is true ... He is a rock. He is unmovable, strong and a shelter in the middle of life’s changes. I have found it to be true during this season of my life.

All scripture taken from the NASB, Zondervan Publishers, Grand Rapids, 2002.

About the Author: Eileen Hershberger is a full-time student pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education, and a part-time server. She enjoys reading, music, travel and baseball when not working or studying.

© 2008 Eileen Hershberger.