Rocks

Asheville and Rocks

For the last several months I have pestered my husband to go to Asheville, North Carolina—a bucket list item for sure. I will be logging excerpts from our travels there over the next several blogs, because we made it! But I wanted to start the epic journey with rocks. Yes rocks. Chris studied rocks for a living. Geologist. In geologic jargon, Asheville snuggles within the Appalachian, Blue Ridge, or Smoky Mountains; all the same and part of an old, tired mountain range. This eastern U.S. range was once prolific with steep slopes and high peaks like in the Rockies. But with the passage of time the peaks wore down, slopes eroded and now the entire range is smothered with fir, cedar, oak, maple and ash. Underneath this canopy of green; however, is still a foundation of fairly stable and solid rock. These mountains and their granite foundations are leveled down to such a degree that a nearly 500-mile long freeway called the Blue Ridge Parkway was engineered to rest upon them from eastern Virginia to western North Carolina; providing support for millions of cars to travel on each year. Those parkway foundation rocks are going to be “there” a long time; you can count on them. Rocks are a metaphor for all sorts of people, systems, and personalities that we can count on. As a matter of fact, God is a rock according to the Bible, and many of us have “rocks” that are actually “people” in our lives. 

God as a Rock

King David used the rock metaphor this way: “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 (Psalms 18:2).” The most important spiritual structure that God seems to have crafted into my heart during my battle with Parkinsons is that he is a rock; he is always there, he is always a firm and immovable presence. Rocky formations such as within creek and river drainage systems in and around Asheville have caves, crags, and clefts that I could hide in. Similarly, I can hide in God my rock during times of trouble or stand on him firmly in the midst of a battle. And sometimes, he places other “rocks” on my road in retirement; “people” that give me stability, strength, and protection. 

Rocks Can be People

The bible doesn’t use the metaphor of “rock” for people all too often, but three people are referenced as such: Jesus, Peter and Abraham.

“You are Peter (Greek = boulder, stone) and upon this rock I will build my church (Matthew 16:18).” 

“All drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4-5).”

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham (Isaiah 51:1–2).”

I can attest that I have many people who have been rocks in my life. My husband and I built our first home in a brand-new neighborhood just after the great flood of 1997 that evacuated 55,000 of us from the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota for three weeks. Scenes of the current flooding northwest of San Antonio bring PTSD-visions of that 250-year event.  We built on Plum Drive, named after one of the streets that was 20-feet under water, a greenway park today. Other families joined our new street including one clan who became life-long friends, immovable rocks. 

Rocks at My Door

Recently, the mother and only daughter of that rock-solid family, now some 20 years later, and living close to 2000 miles away showed up at my door . . . having traveled from of all places where they now live . . . Red Rock, Arizona! I love these two women like my own closest family, certainly even par with Chris (OK, that was just to get back for all his weird editing on these blogs). We are miles apart now, and rarely see each other, but they are rocks; the spiritual kind: steady, solid, always “there,” unjudgmental, and caring deeply. It became newly apparent to me during their visit, that these are special women in my life; rocks. They are forever spiritual foundations of God’s love and grace. 

Building on the Rock

We all should strive to allow rocks into our lives and this starts with THE rock; Jesus. He says this in Matthew 7:24-28, “ . . . everyone who hears these 'words' of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” What I have learned from my road in retirement is that Jesus is a solid foundation of rock if I listen to and obey his words. Sometimes some of his “words” come to me from human rocks in my life like my Red Rock visitors.

Acting on Jesus’ Words

While touring around Asheville I saw homes along river and creek beds that were “half-homes,” damaged by Hurricane Helene in 2024. These were homes built on bad foundations like clay, sand or gravel instead of solid bedrock. Raging river or stream waters eroded the riverbanks sometimes taking half the house downstream and leaving the other half mangled and clinging precariously to the riverbank. Hurricane Hellene and her 20” of rainfall upon those mountains, spawned raging torrents of river water that dug into any weak foundation. A solid foundation and higher ground were needed. So, as I remind myself of the importance or rocks, I extend encouragement to all of us to seek the higher ground of Jesus and do some listening and acting on his words. Let's create rock-solid foundations; being truly on the Rock, the rock of our salvation and deliverance. 

Addendum: And I had to add the photo of Chris by some rocks with no witty or cute words of wisdom to go with it – just him with some rocks  . . . geologist.