Can I Cook Bread with that Rock Flour?
Some boaters enjoying Lake Louise
I couldn't believe my eyes. In front of me stretched the most unbelievable lake
I had ever seen. Surrounded by a silent sentinel of towering, majestic peaks and
magnificent glaciers, it was surreal. But in my mind, what made the scene even
more dramatic was the color of the water. It was, literally, a misty turquoise
blue.
Thousands of tourists took pictures along its shoreline. Some of them even
rented canoes to drift along in the shadowy turquoise waters. All were hoping to
somehow capture a tiny element of the beauty to share with friend and family
back home. I knew however, that no picture, no matter how well taken, could ever
do justice to the brilliant color, to the regal mountains, to the glorious lake:
the celebrated Lake Louise.
One can wonder why Lake Louise reflects such a beautiful turquoise hue. It turns
out that the reason is really quite simple. The lake is fed by six glaciers.
(Needless to say, its water is quite cold, less than 10 degrees C-50 degrees
F-in the summer!) These glaciers have unbelievable power, for as they move and
flow, they grind away the rock beneath them, turning the actual stone into a
fine powder: Rock flour. This rock flour is transported via the meltwaters into
the lake, causing the waters to absorb all the colours of the incoming light
except for the vivid turquoise that is reflected back for us to enjoy.
Can you imagine trying to grind a tiny stone? Would be pretty hard, wouldn't it?
What about something as big as a boulder? I don't know of any blender powerful
enough to accomplish such a feat. And why would we want to grind rock, anyway?
I'm not sure the results would be all that desirable: "Ouch. I lost another
tooth eating my sandwich! I have only two left! Honey, please use less rock
flour in the bread next week!"
But what appears to be unmovable and sturdy is slowly being turned into a fine
powder, rock flour.
People so often spend their entire lives concentrating on their work, neglecting
their own family, hoping to leave a legacy for future generations. "I want to do
something to be remembered by," they reason. In reality, doesn't this kind of a
legacy tend to go unnoticed by future generations? For example, does anyone know
off hand who invented the blender? What about the TV or the radio? Small wonder.
Except for a select few, these inventors' names have long been forgotten.
Even famous people are rarely remembered for the gifts they gave the world. Take
Julius Caesar, for example. Most of us remember him as the one who was murdered
by Brutus. Then there's Plato. He used to walk around with rocks (not rock
flour!) In his mouth. And Isaac Newton? Didn't an apple fall on his head? Ouch!
In all, not glorious ways to be remembered!
But the glaciers are not out to produce anything so well known as a TV. All they
do is produce this fine dust, rock flour. It may seem insignificant, but it is
responsible for the stunning beauty of world-renown Lake Louise.
Remember, no matter how insignificant your actions, they will be noticed. Some,
like the rock flour, will be remembered in a good light, while some, whether
intentionally or unintentionally, will only bring hurt. People may forget what
you've contributed in life, but they won't forget your actions.
What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?
Only one Rock is unmovable and indestructible: "They all ate the same spiritual
food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock
that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor 10:3 NIV)
Those who build their life on that Rock will be unmovable as well! "I will show
you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into
practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the
foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could
not shake it, because it was well built." (Luke 6:47-48 NIV)
Those who build their lives on the Rock, Jesus, are the ones who will be
remembered for eternity. Not by their own merits, but by the merits of the One
who made it all possible. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and
co-heirs with Christ." (Rom 8:16-17 NIV)
How will you be remembered?
Rob Chaffart