Like stepping stones in mountain streams

Life thrives on stopping places,

And, 'gainst spring freshet's swelling schemes

We fend off troubled spaces.

A stepping stone is there to stay

Uneasy feet on slipp'ry planes-

And lift above the slipp'ry clay

All footfalls bent on daily gains.

From whence come storms that block our paths

Which keep us insecure?

They do not come from nature's wrath

Or motives deemed impure.

They merely measure natural laws

That play out day by day.,

And do not mirror moral flaws

That lead us all astray.

But, stepping stones in troubled lands

Are not by happ'nstance,

Though shap'd by God's own caring hands

We place them in advance.

Some stones are shaped by caring deeds

Like bread cast on the water,

While others come from planted seeds

That blossom in their order.

But, stones that hold against the floods

To make our feet secure

Must first be formed by spirit's quest

Set by our God's allure.

The mortar best for casting stone

Is made from love intact,

And faith- to fashion harmony

Where doubts do interact..

Like stepping stone in mountain stream

We need a solid rock

To hold us steady when life's whims

Slash at our dreams to mock..

A stepping stone to higher ground

Where storms and floods are naught.

Where peace and harmony are found

And God's pure will is sought-

This is our quest from dawn to dusk,

To cope with unplann'd showers,

And know that putting feet to trust

Will lead from weeds to flowers.

So, let us find our stepping stone,

It towers above the fray-

And let it for our sins atone

And guide us on our way.

-JVE