The closeness of the earth reminds me of the stability and provision of my Lord.
Jasper is a smooth and hard form of microcrystalline quartz. In medieval times, it was a favorite stone to use for carving wax seals and signet rings, as quartz's hardness allows for detailed carving. Through different inclusions, jasper can be red, yellow, pink, black, white, brown, and even green, with patterns ranging from zebra stripes to leopard spots to wavelike ripples. Brown jasper is given its hues by high iron content, and can be anywhere from chocolatey brown to tan to reddish mahogany. Striped stones with layers of different tones of brown jasper are called mookite, mookaite, or mook stone.
Brown jasper strongly resembles the rich hues of soil, the root of all life on earth. Drawing nutrients from the soil, plants grow; by eating plants, animals grow; by eating smaller animals, predators grow; and when each of these die, they are broken down by decomposed and dispersed into the soil as nutrients and the cycle begins anew. As Genesis 3:19 says, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” God Himself said this to the first people ever created, after they chose to go against Him, and to protect the two of them from living forever in the pain they'd created for themselves, God sent them away from Him. He would not let them suffer for eternity because He loved them. Despite the situation, God will always care for us beyond belief and provide for us.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus speaks in these verses, telling us about how He cares for each living thing on the earth, and every creature in return trusts that the Lord will provide for them, even if they might die the next day. God is good and deeply generous to us, like the soil that raises trees up from seeds. As we grow, we are dependent on God; He is the sun that gives our souls energy, the water that gives us life, and the soil that gives us nourishment and stability. That being said, we never have to worry for a moment about how things will go or if we'll mess up, because the One in control is flawless and never forgets us for an instant.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Phillipians 4:6-7
Humbled as we are by our dependence on Him, we must rest our faith on the Lord, and without fail He will comfort and sustain us, our stable rock that we can stand on when the world is falling apart.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."
Psalms 55:22
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