In the book of Joshua, Joshua directed the Hebrews to set up “marker stones” after they had crossed the Jordan River. His point was this: “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it [the ark of the covenant] crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Josh 4:6-7). That “sign” was to remind the Hebrews for generation after generation of God’s hand in Hebrew history.
As I think about these stones, though, I suspect they wouldn’t work well in American culture today. Here’s why:
- Markers assume that families have a spiritual heritage. The Hebrews often neglected their heritage, but they did have a history of God’s working in their lives. Today, many families are like mine when I was growing up: they have had no spiritual heritage for generations. Nobody’s asking spiritual questions.
- They assume that parents and children actually spend time together. At least one study has shown that parents and children spend less than two hours together each day.[i] There’s no guarantee, too, that this time is one-on-one, focused, intentional time. It’s tough to have conversations leading to talking about God when the generations don’t spend much time together in the first place.
- They assume that parents and children actually talk about spiritual things. My anecdotal conclusion as a pastor is that even families faithful in church have few spiritual conversations. Such discussions might happen on the way home from church on Sunday, but seldom beyond that moment. When nobody’s talking about spiritual things in general, it’s unlikely they’ll talk often about spiritual markers.
- They assume that parents would know the answer to the question, “What do these stones mean?” Children are naturally inquisitive (at least until we somehow quench this thirst for knowledge—the subject of another post . . . ), but parents aren’t always ready with answers. That’s particularly the case with spiritual matters when parents are surface-level Christians with little knowledge themselves about the Scriptures and theology.
- Markers assume that people on a walk notice things around them—that is, their noses aren’t buried in a cell phone. I probably need not say much more here. I’ve seen families strolling on the greenway behind our house with every member of the family looking at a phone. Were they walking in the world of Joshua, they would have wandered past the stones and later wondered, “What stones? I didn’t see any stones!” That’s a problem.
So, parents and grandparents, how do we make a difference? Here’s my suggestion for a starting point:
- Intentionally sit down with the next generations and tell them your spiritual story.
- Talk to them about how you came to know the Lord. Tell them about your baptism.
- If you have pictures or certificates that mark those events, show them to your kids and grandkids.
- Tell the next generation one additional story of God’s goodness in your life.
- Somehow, mark that conversation. Take a picture of all of you. Record a video of your telling your story. If you want to apply this point literally, place a stone in your yard that will always be a reminder of the conversation. You might be surprised by how much your kids and grandkids remember.
[i] https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/activity-by-parent.htm
