The Searcher at the Stone Hut

A young man decided that he wanted to learn the ways of God. So he traveled to the edge of the great sea. With the help of local farmers and shepherds, he found his way to the simple stone hut of an ascetic monk, considered by the locals to be a holy man.

The old monk listened to his request and then told him, “First you must find God in the scriptures. Read through the Bible one hundred times. Then return and tell me what you have found.”

Three years passed, and the young man journeyed back to the stone hut. He and the old man walked along the shore.

“Tell me of your studies, young man.” said the monk.

“I found the story of a God who at times seemed harsh and even cruel, but I also found a God who loved with a generosity I can scarcely comprehend. The contrast confused me. And there were many verses which troubled me. I talked to various religious leaders and scholars in my town. But they had so many different interpretations of the scriptures, that they seemed to be talking about completely different deities. So I just continued my reading.”

“Yes, and in your reading, what did you find?”

“I found a holy God who created all that is because of Who He is, and Who loves that which He created because of Who He is.”

The old man smiled and nodded. He bent over and scooped up a handful of sand. Carefully emptying the sand into a leather pouch, he pulled the draw strings tight and tossed it to the young man. “Now, you must find God in His creation. Return when you find God between the grains of sand in your hand.”

Many years passed, and the man returned, no longer young. The old hermit of the stone hut had grown weak and seldom left his sleeping mat. But he smiled and gestured for his visitor to sit on the crude, wooden bench.

“I discovered that God holds together the invisible particles that make up each grain of sand, but He also fills the space between them. He forms all that is and fills all that is not. The air I breathe, the sunlight I see, God is in it all but contained by none of it. There is nowhere in the universe I can go that God did not create and does not sustain. Therefore I aware that God is ever present, that I am ever in Him. But I still feel that I do not truly know God yet.”

The aged monk motioned for him to kneel by his sleeping mat. The younger man leaned forward to hear.

“You have learned well. Now you must go and find God within yourself. When you find God there, return to me.”

Years passed, and the man returned to the familiar hut. The old hermit was now blind, but he recognized his disciple at once. “Tell me,” the old man whispered.

Stroking the brow of his master, the disciple replied, “I sometimes find that I still do not know myself all that well, but I believe that it is in seeking God that I come to better know myself, and in seeking within that I come to better know God. I can grieve at my weakness and failures because they do not reflect my creator’s intent for me. But I can rejoice in those same imperfections because they drive me to Him in humble dependence. And I do go to Him, because of how His Spirit works in me—revealing, forgiving, transforming, redeeming, releasing. Mystery beyond mystery, He loves me precisely as I am.

He has changed how I see everything. Now I taste times of peace beyond my ability to describe, when I am most fully aware of being in the hand of the infinite God. It is then that I live the prayer, ‘I in Him and He in me.’”

The elderly ascetic smiled, sighed, and in a weak voice, said, “You have learned well. Now this hut is yours. Your final task: find God as you.”

The old hermit closed his eyes with a smile on his face and breathed his last breath.
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The Searcher at the Stone Hut

A young man decided that he wanted to learn the ways of God. So he traveled to the edge of the great sea. With the help of local farmers and shepherds, he found his way to the simple stone hut of an ascetic monk, considered by the locals to be a holy man.

The old monk listened to his request and then told him, “First you must find God in the scriptures. Read through the Bible one hundred times. Then return and tell me what you have found.”

Three years passed, and the young man journeyed back to the stone hut. He and the old man walked along the shore.

“Tell me of your studies, young man.” said the monk.

“I found the story of a God who at times seemed harsh and even cruel, but I also found a God who loved with a generosity I can scarcely comprehend. The contrast confused me. And there were many verses which troubled me. I talked to various religious leaders and scholars in my town. But they had so many different interpretations of the scriptures, that they seemed to be talking about completely different deities. So I just continued my reading.”

“Yes, and in your reading, what did you find?”

“I found a holy God who created all that is because of Who He is, and Who loves that which He created because of Who He is.”

The old man smiled and nodded. He bent over and scooped up a handful of sand. Carefully emptying the sand into a leather pouch, he pulled the draw strings tight and tossed it to the young man. “Now, you must find God in His creation. Return when you find God between the grains of sand in your hand.”

Many years passed, and the man returned, no longer young. The old hermit of the stone hut had grown weak and seldom left his sleeping mat. But he smiled and gestured for his visitor to sit on the crude, wooden bench.

“I discovered that God holds together the invisible particles that make up each grain of sand, but He also fills the space between them. He forms all that is and fills all that is not. The air I breathe, the sunlight I see, God is in it all but contained by none of it. There is nowhere in the universe I can go that God did not create and does not sustain. Therefore I aware that God is ever present, that I am ever in Him. But I still feel that I do not truly know God yet.”

The aged monk motioned for him to kneel by his sleeping mat. The younger man leaned forward to hear.

“You have learned well. Now you must go and find God within yourself. When you find God there, return to me.”

Years passed, and the man returned to the familiar hut. The old hermit was now blind, but he recognized his disciple at once. “Tell me,” the old man whispered.

Stroking the brow of his master, the disciple replied, “I sometimes find that I still do not know myself all that well, but I believe that it is in seeking God that I come to better know myself, and in seeking within that I come to better know God. I can grieve at my weakness and failures because they do not reflect my creator’s intent for me. But I can rejoice in those same imperfections because they drive me to Him in humble dependence. And I do go to Him, because of how His Spirit works in me—revealing, forgiving, transforming, redeeming, releasing. Mystery beyond mystery, He loves me precisely as I am.

He has changed how I see everything. Now I taste times of peace beyond my ability to describe, when I am most fully aware of being in the hand of the infinite God. It is then that I live the prayer, ‘I in Him and He in me.’”

The elderly ascetic smiled, sighed, and in a weak voice, said, “You have learned well. Now this hut is yours. Your final task: find God as you.”

The old hermit closed his eyes with a smile on his face and breathed his last breath...