Heart Rocks

Heart rocks. This sounds like a rather childish topic. Certainly a female topic, one might conclude. But my experience with these rocks has been anything but childish, and certainly not limited to a female audience. It started in the summer of 2007, when I would go for a run in the woods as part of my exercise routine. My eyes are constantly watching the ground when I'm on a trail, so I know where to land each foot to avoid the all-too-common trail-running disaster of having my foot trip on a rock or root, sending me face-down on the dirt. So, ever aware, my eyes were watchful that day, leading me to see a familiar shape in the dirt, which stopped me in my tracks and led me back to the spot where I then saw my first heart rock. I picked it up, surprised at how, over time, nature had formed this rock into a common symbol in today's world. I have come to understand that shapes really have no meaning except for the meaning we give them.

Universally, the heart is associated with love~either in a romantic, spiritual, or friendship nature. But when I saw this rock, I knew immediately the meaning it had for me in the present moment, and it made me smile. It was God's way of using an earthly symbol to send me a message of love and a promise of guidance from Him. I knew this to be so because earlier that year the phrase Focus on the Heart was spoken to my spirit. It was spoken to me the way many of us hear God speak to us~through an inner voice in our spirit. After I had heard the phrase Focus on the Heart in my spirit, I took it to mean I needed to be aware of an inner transformation that would be taking place within me. And these heart rocks were just one of the many signs along the way that assured me God would remain with me during this transformation, which is still taking place within me.

My first heart rock was special because I loved the way it felt when I held it. It wasn't a perfectly formed, perfectly rounded heart; instead, it was irregular in a very particular place~the place that made it special. When I gripped it between my thumb and index finger, my thumb landed in an indention that can only be described as a "thumbprint." My mind instantly filled with thoughts as my thumb rested on this "thumbprint": God's image is imprinted on my heart. I am made in God's image. This heart rock, with it's imperfect, irregular parts, stands out in my eye as a perfect creation from God. Just like I am imperfect, yet perfect in God's eyes through His grace.

This little, insignificant rock held such meaning for me. It still does. Because I was open to receiving a message from the natural world God created, I grabbed hold of the present moment and found God's love in a heart-shaped rock. The greatest lessons and surprises in life are often found in the simplest moments of daily life.

From that day on, I began to "happen upon" many more heart rocks for another year or so. They all carried a similar message for me: You are not alone. I will guide you through your transformation if you stay focused on Me. Remember that Love is always the highest good you can offer the world~love for yourself, Me, and the world.