Copyright © 2026 Women of the ELCA. Reprint permission is granted for use in Women of the ELCA units, clusters/conferences and synodical women’s organizations provided each post is reproduced in its entirety. If you enjoy this resource, Donate Now.
I’ve become a rock collector. One rock in my collection seems to have some magic to it. By some standards, it’s a little dull. An oval-shaped burgundy rock, it measures three inches across and a half-inch thick, with an indentation I can rub my thumb across. It’s made of a noncrystalline kind of quartz called chalcedony that sports significant iron deposits.
I keep this rock next to my bed. I often hold in in prayer. This rock might be a billion years old. It has no control over its existence. It billowed up from underground volcanoes and was tossed around for millions of years. But it is stable and beautiful and solid and a part of God’s kingdom. Its atoms were brought into being when God breathed over the void, separating the light from the dark, bringing order out of chaos. It speaks to me of stability and gives me a sense of calm about God’s reign. I know that we are even more protected than that rock. Despite the wind, the waves and the years that wash over us, we are safe, because we are part of God’s beloved kingdom.
This message is excerpted from “Kingdom calm” by Lindsay Hardin Freeman in the March/April 2022 Gather magazine. Today is the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.