Rocks, Pebbles, Sand

Just before Independence Day, a friend and I hiked less than 2% of the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin on an overnight backpacking trek.

Sounds rather insignificant, I know. But keep in mind the Ice Age Trail is 1,000 miles long—and all in Wisconsin!

Hiking west to east, the trail begins in St. Croix Falls on the St. Croix River—the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota. For the next 1,000 miles, the Ice Age Trail meanders along varied terrain of woods, meadows, fields, roadways. Trail’s end is marked by a granite rock in Potawatomi State Park in Sturgeon’s Bay.

So our 1.7% of the trail covered 17.5 miles in the southern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest.

When I first heard of the park, I wondered at the name. I’m not a native of Wisconsin, after all. But I soon discovered kettle and moraine are just two words in a vocabulary of geological terms related to the region.

In time gone by, glaciers covered the area, reaching as far south as northern Illinois. Alas, dreaded climate change afflicted the northern hemisphere, warming up the earth, melting the beloved glaciers.

As they retreated toward the polar ice cap where they belonged, the ice masses left behind geological carnage, the effects of which are described by these unique terms.

A “kettle” is “a surface depression formed by large, detached blocks of melting ice that were buried with sand and gravel. As the ice melted, the other material collapsed, leaving a crater-like depression. Some kettles are more than 100 feet deep.”

A “moraine” is “a ridge formed by unsorted gravel, sand and boulders carried by the glacier and deposited at the outer edge, or front, of the glacier. Some are only 10 feet high, while others rise 250 to 300 feet.”

When you put the two together, “kettle moraine” or “the Interlobate Moraine,…is a series of ridges, 120 miles long and only a few miles wide, in eastern Wisconsin.”

Some other new-to-me terms describe the area, as well:

A “drumlin” is “an elongated, teardrop-shaped hill…sculpted in the direction of the glacial ice movement. They often occur in groups known as swarms.”

“Erratics” are “boulders carried long distances by the glaciers and deposited when the glacier melted.”

An “esker” is “a sinuous rounded ridge of sand and gravel deposited by the streams that flowed through tunnels at the base of the glacier.”

How about “hummocky”? There’s a good one, no? It fittingly refers to “hilly, knob-and-kettle topography.” Seems like someone saw a strange-looking hill and asked his friend, “Whadaya think we oughta call this one?”

“Hmmm….looks kinda hummocky to me.”

“That’s good…hummocky it is!”

We saw a few “kames,” which are conical hills, “composed primarily of water-rounded sand and cobbles,…left by streams that flowed downward through shafts in the glacial ice.”

I’ve heard about fens and bogs and barrens and dells and swales—you’ll come across all of them along the Ice Age Trail.

OK, sorry for the vocab lesson.

As we covered the miles, I was struck with the contrasting character of the trail itself—the actual ground we walked on.

Some was just dirt. Well, actually, dirt on Monday…mud on Tuesday as we trudged along in the rain. In the pine forests, accumulated pine needs carpeted over the dirt, offering soft footfalls.

The trail had its share of roots sticking up, ever threatening to trip the careless hiker.

Then there were the rocks, varying in size from golf balls to baseballs.

In a few places, we encountered small pebbles. Mostly on the floor of the shelter, though.

And then there was sand. Yes, sand, and we were nowhere near a beach! A few small patches were of the take-a-step-and-slide depth—not really a problem; more of a surprise.

As I reflected on the variety, I remembered an object lesson intended to challenge decision-making, time-usage, priorities. The lesson utilized a large jar…rocks…pebbles…sand.

Depending on the context at the time, the “jar” represents your life, a year, a day—some time frame.

The geological elements represent the stuff with which you fill your life, ranging from the important (rocks) to the trivial and non-essential (sand).

Take the “jar” and pour in a bunch of “sand”…add a few “pebbles”…then discover you don’t have room for the “rocks.”

On the other hand, put all the rocks in first. Then add some pebbles to fill up the jar. And guess what? There’s still room for some sand as it works its way into the space between the rocks and pebbles.

Pretty straightforward application, right? We see it…we get it…but how well do we consistently live it?

At work, too many employees fritter away the day chit-chatting or playing solitaire or browsing social media or checking email every ten minutes. At the end of the day, they wonder how come they couldn’t meet the deadline for Project A.

At home, hours are spent scrolling the phone or watching stuff or gaming, and important family time is lost. No time to play with the kids. No time for conversation. No time for reading good books. No time for long-overdue projects.

When it comes to the Christian life, we fill the jar with sand piles of entertainment, recreation, and watching sports…the important pebbles of family activities, everyday home management and projects and so much more.

But what about the rocks?

By the time we’ve put the sand and pebbles in the jar, there’s not enough room left for all the important rocks that enable growth in grace and knowledge of Christ, let alone vital participation in the church family.

You know, Jesus alluded to the rocks, pebbles, sand analogy.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

– Matthew 6:33

All what things?

The pebbles that we let fill the jar—pursuit of life’s necessities. In the context (Matthew 6:24-32), Jesus referred to earning a living, providing food and clothing. Important stuff, to be sure.

But not the most important.

A better strategy for living is to start with “kingdom of God and His righteousness” stuff. Put that in the jar first. Go to church when services are offered. Spend time daily in the Word and prayer. Give financially to the Lord’s work. Have a way to serve others and fulfill the “one anothers” of the Bible.

Then the pebbles.

Then the sand.