Small Stones

The picture currently on the desktop of my computer was taken in Madison, Wisconsin, through the stone banisters of the capitol building. It looks out over the green expanse of the lawn, focusing on one small girl, standing on tiptoe to reach the lowest branch of a small tree. Everything else is so big, so broad, so sturdy, and there she is, reaching upward, unnoticed by the majority of the world. It's a beautiful picture of child-like ambition and desire, stretching and reaching to climb the tree, yet the lowest branch is just out of her reach...

To a certain degree, that image resonates with me because that is how I feel about fundraising and campus staff right now . I feel as if I am standing in the midst of a big crowd, a big space, and a big world. And I am desperately reaching for the lowest branch of my tree. Even so, I cannot reach it. Even on my tiptoes, it's just out of reach. So I stretch and I strain to meet my mark. And in the back of my head, there's a small voice saying... "is it worth it? is it worth it?" And the ground beneath my feet trembles, and I take my eyes off the goal above, focusing on the soil beneath my feet. I feel weak, small, and uncertain. And the world seems to pass by unnoticing.

Yet someone hands me a pebble. "Stand upon it, and you will reach your goal," they say. A pebble, I scoff. That will not enable me to reach my target. It's so small. So insignificant. And then another pebble. And another. And another. Bit by bit, piece by piece, until I am standing on a stone wall; a pile of pebbles, rising up to form a fortress. And then, the branch within my reach, I must face the question I have asked all along: "Is it worth it?" The roar beneath my feet, supporting me, lifting me up, resounds as I draw my breath. "Oh yes," it begins, "it is most certainly worth it." And each rock begins to sing. A story to be told. A truth to affirm. A testimony of strength. Until finally, it is my turn. And I, standing on their strength and stories answer boldly, as I reach out my hand, "Oh yes! It is worth it!" and grasp the branch.

1 Samuel 17:40,47 -> "Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine...All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."