THE WHITE STONE
There is an interesting promise that a young man named Isaac finds in scripture…
Isaac had the dream one night. It was so clear. He was buried in a field of white stones unable to escape.
Being he was a just young man in the Kingdom of Heart, he was a bit different than others. He was the kind who read old parchments by lamplight long after others had gone to sleep. Some would remark to his parents that he was different.
What did that mean? He just knew he searched for deeper meanings.
One evening he opened to Proverbs and read words that stopped him cold:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
He stared at the page. Guard it? How?
His heart felt like a wild garden—full of questions, fears, fleeting desires.
He flipped back a few chapters and found another line that pierced even deeper:
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”
The question echoed in his chest like his own voice asking back: But how, really? God sees everything—every hidden thought, every compromise he barely noticed. Purity wasn’t just clean actions; it was a clean inner spring. Yet the more he tried to watch his steps, the more he stumbled over his own wandering mind. Why did guarding the heart feel so impossible some days?
Frustrated and restless, he kept turning pages late into the night. That’s when he came upon the ancient words from Revelation, spoken to the churches:
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says… To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”
This is when the dream came.
A white stone. A new name. Known only to the receiver—and to the One who gives it.
Isaac sat back, heart pounding.
What kind of victory earns such an intimate gift? Could he, would he, should he? His mind swirled.
And could someone like him—someone still wrestling to keep his way pure—ever become an overcomer?
—
Isaac closed the parchment, the lamplight flickering across the words still burning in his mind.
And could someone like him—someone still wrestling to keep his way pure—ever become an overcomer?
He didn’t have an answer. Only a quiet ache to find out.
The next morning the kingdom somehow felt heavier. The usual chatter in the marketplace had a bitter edge. Isaac overheard two neighbors leaning against a cart:
“Hard times are coming again,” one muttered. “No use hoping for miracles. The King’s promises are just old stories.”
The other laughed dryly. “Better take what you can get while you can. Shiny stones are easier to hold onto than dreams.”
Isaac felt something twist inside him. He wanted to speak up, but the words caught. Guard your heart. The proverb returned like a gentle hand on his shoulder. He walked away instead, repeating the line under his breath as if it were a shield.
That afternoon a stranger approached him on the path home—a lean figure with eyes that glinted like polished metal. The Lizard of Loath, they called him, though he never used the name himself.
“Isaac, isn’t it?” the stranger said smoothly. “I’ve seen you reading those heavy old scrolls. Admirable. You should be proud of yourself… But tell me—does your heart ever grow tired of questions that have no answers?”
Isaac paused. “Sometimes.”
The Lizard smiled, almost kindly. “Then why keep asking them? Look around. People are happy with simpler things. A little comfort, a little shine.” Sometimes they just need something that they can see and hold. Things that will bring a little luck and good fortune. Why stretch for something that’s unattainable?
He opened his palm; three small stones lay there, each catching the sun in bright, flawless flashes. “Take one. No riddles. No wrestling. Just beauty you can see and hold.”
Isaac stared at the stones. They were beautiful—clean, cool, perfect. For a moment his fingers twitched.
“What would I have to do…? he asked quietly.
“Nothing hard,” the Lizard replied. “Just stop chasing what you can’t quite reach. Let the questions go. Your heart will feel lighter at once.”
Isaac looked down at his own hands—calloused, uncertain—and felt the pull. Then the proverb whispered again, softer this time but firmer: Above all else…
He closed his fist. “No thank you.”
The Lizard’s smile didn’t falter. “Suit yourself. But when the real trouble comes—and it will—you’ll wish you’d chosen ease.”
He slithered away, leaving the air colder.
—-
To be continued… where you will see Isaac come against various trials and meet some outlandish folk…