I spotted it in my driveway while I was getting out of my car: a black rock the size and shape of a pencil eraser with a quartz white stripe across the middle. Like every other unusual object that catches my eye, I put it in my pocket for further study.
For some people, an interesting object on the ground brings with it the potential of good fortune. As Catholics, we recognize that that is not the case. We place our trust in God, not superstition.
Still, due to my interest in geology, I Googled “black rock with white stripe” and right away links for “wishing rock” appeared along with images of rocks that looked just like mine. I clicked on the first link and it said that if I made a wish for myself, it would come true, but if I made a wish for someone else, ALL my wishes would come true.
It sounded tempting and I could think of a million little things I’d love to have, like a skylight snowball with marshmallow (in January) or a BMW M4. The more research I did, the more I found contradictory theories about the veritable jackpot I held in the palm of my hand.
One article said that I had to keep it on me at all times and the other said that I needed to give it away. I stopped searching when one article said that the rock could only have one bold white line and my rock had several faint lines.
The inconsistency among the “rules” for the rock re-edified the concept that “lucky charms” hold little power over us. Our lives we are led not by whimsy, but by God’s hand.
There were so many mysteries surrounding the wishing rock and the discrepancies surrounding the conditions surrounding its alleged powers. But, as we learn in Psalm 18, there is no mystery with what God can do for us. After all, he is our rock.
Psalm 18: 1-6
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
