The Stones We Carry

— and the Purpose We’re Called To

Last week, I watched something sacred unfold.We gathered for what I thought would be a simple creative devotion — just paint, a few smooth stones, and a passage from Psalm 139. But as the room quieted and hands began to move, I could feel the Spirit doing something deeper.

There was a tenderness in the air — a holy pause.One by one, we held stones in our hands, naming them quietly: hurts, fears, disappointments, losses, sins we’ve carried longer than we realized. Some stones felt smooth and familiar. Others were jagged — memories we rarely touch because they still sting.

And yet, as each person offered their stone to Jesus, I sensed a collective exhale.We weren’t just setting down rocks. We were laying down the weight of years — the burdens that had hardened us, the pain we’d tried to ignore, the stories that had shaped us.

It reminded me of childhood, how we once collected stones because they sparkled in the sunlight — because they felt special in our little hands. We didn’t think about the weight; we only noticed the wonder. But somewhere along the way, we began picking up things that no longer serve us. Grief. Shame. Regret. Comparison. They add up until we hardly notice how heavy life has become.

As I sat there, I realized something: the Spirit isn’t just inviting me to set down my stones — He’s showing me why He gave me this creative calling in the first place.

For months, I’ve felt this gentle nudge in my heart — a pull toward creating devotions that engage both heart and hands, where art and Scripture meet as tools of healing. And that day, watching those stones being released, I knew.

This is the work He’s calling me to.

To guide others into moments where they encounter God through creativity — through color, reflection, and touch.To help people remember that healing doesn’t always happen in silence or striving — sometimes it happens in the rhythm of painting, in the release of writing, in the simple act of holding something and letting it go.

God is showing me that creative devotions can be holy ground — places where we rediscover joy and abundance, even after seasons of heaviness.

The more I listen, the more I sense Him saying:

“This is what I made you for — to create spaces where others can meet Me in their healing.”

So I’m saying yes.Yes to leading with wonder.Yes to letting art and Spirit intertwine.Yes to building a ministry of creative devotion, where people come to lay down their stones — and walk away lighter, freer, glowing with His love.

And maybe, as we keep walking together, we’ll start noticing how the light catches on the stones we’ve kept — the ones that tell stories of grace and growth — and how, in His hands, even the heaviest things become holy.

Scripture Inspiration:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”— Psalm 139:23–24