Mom-ing Through Faith: On Throwing Our Stones

Recently, Kathie Lee Gifford, morning co-anchor of the fourth hour of the the Today show, returned to work after grieving the sudden loss of her husband, Frank Gifford, the acclaimed football player and sports commentator.

While I am not one who regularly tunes into the morning news, much less the fourth hour of the Today show thanks to tasks, activities, errands, chores, and playtime related to the three little Lus who reside in my home, I was moved to tears by a segment that aired during that hour, after one of my closest friends sent it to me. 

It was so powerful that we spent an entire evening of our LifeGroup talking about it and it's repercussions (shout out to Jenna and Jon, who did an amazing job introducing and leading the discussion). If you have yet to see this segment, I highly encourage you to watch it. It's about 8 minutes, and you will not regret it, I promise. 

Rarely is the church, is Christianity, spoken about on the news in such a meaningful, touching way. Whether or not you are a fan of Kathie Lee, her eloquent words, her heart-felt and faith-filled tribute, is one that is not only a beautiful testament of her faith but also a very thought-provoking and potentially life-changing conversation worth watching. 

Part of the tribute involves the brief retelling of the Biblical story of David and Goliath, in which David, a small boy, slays the great giant, whom all others had feared, using a single stone, all because he had faith in God.

After retelling the story, Kathie Lee then asked viewers to consider the following question:

What is my stone?  

In other words, 

What is the gift that only I can do in this world to make it a better place?  

You may remember a couple months ago I wrote about a similar topic: On being restless. On the critical importance of using our own, specific gifts. As Jennie Allen, author of Restless, says,

We need to quit apologizing for using our gifts and start apologizing for not using them. 

We are uniquely and wonderfully made, with our own individual gifts, with our own individual purposes. And you know who else is? Our children. Each of them. 

As mommas, I believe that, not only is it our job to identify our own unique gifts and use them to make the world a better place, in whatever big or small way that may be, but also to help our children identify their own gifts and to use them the best way they can. 

Maybe you're an eloquent speaker. Maybe you're an observant listener. Maybe you're a talented writer. Maybe you're a skilled chef. Maybe you're a patient teacher. Maybe you're a reliable friend. Maybe you're a faith-filled leader. Maybe you're a steadfast worker. Whatever you are, whatever your gifts may be, use them. And help your children do the same. 

And then, as Kathie Lee urged, take your gift, take your stone, and 

spend the rest of your life trying to throw it well. Throw it hard and well and transform this hurting world that needs God so much. 

P.S. As part of the LifeGroup discussion our group had on this topic, we concluded by heading to our local greenway, where we each selected a stone for ourselves and then a stone for our family. We were asked to think about what our "stone" is and how we were going to "throw" it to make this world a better, faith-filled place. We were asked the same of our family stone: How is our family going to use our life together to change the world? Currently, my hub's stone resides safely in his bedside table, mine goes everywhere with me in my wallet, and our family's sits prominently on our mantle, each serving as a daily reminder to throw our stones hard and well and far. <3

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10.