What artifacts and related stories do your great-grandchildren need to see and hear about?
“Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.”” ~ Genesis 31:48 NLT
Context: Jacob took his four wives, children, and all his possessions and fled from his uncle Laban in the middle of the night to return to Canaan at God’s direction. Laban and his men pursued Jacob and caught up with him seven days later. After some very intense accusations and negotiations (that included God directly warning Laban to leave Jacob alone) they came to an agreement and parted ways.
The pile of stones they heaped together stood as a witness to their covenant and reminded people of the promises they made. I suppose it was like the wedding rings we wear today, an enduring physical object that represents a spiritual and relational commitment or covenantal transaction.
The concept of “piling stones” is compelling because one day we will walk by that pile with a grandchild and they will ask us about it. These witness piles provoke curiosity in future generations, and if there is a compelling story behind the heap of stones - that usually took place in that location - those conversations become powerful generational transmitters of the values and faith in God’s character and provision that undergird the story and motivated the memorial.
The closest thing I have experienced to this has been the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 memorials. Those witness piles remind us of great evil, tragedy, honor and sacrifice that stir our hearts. Those are national witness piles that convey the same message to every generation, “Never forget!”
What does a personal witness pile look like for your family? Here are a few things Sandi and I are working on:
Uploading old family videos to a private Youtube page to preserve them for future generations (and keeping backups on hard drives)
Meeting with our entire family this summer to talk about our combined values, vision and mission and then creating some sort of family crest to display in our home and give to each family.
Planning to take our children and grandchildren to the camp in northern Michigan that first sparked our childhood romance and played such an important role in our spiritual growth so we can tell those stories on location.
What experiences have you had with God that deserve a pile of stones to keep the story alive for generations to come?