The Stone They Almost Threw Away

In 2014, a contractor demolishing an old church in Portland, Oregon, pulled a massive granite block from the foundation rubble. It was irregular, cracked along one edge, and every mason on the crew dismissed it as waste. They loaded it onto a truck bound for the landfill. But the architect, Sarah Chen, stopped the driver at the gate. She had noticed something — the stone's unusual dimensions and density made it perfect for the cornerstone of the new community center rising on the same site.

That rejected stone now anchors the building where hundreds gather each week for meals, recovery meetings, and after-school programs. Carved into its face are the words: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

The psalmist knew this pattern long before Portland. Psalm 118 is the song of someone who was surrounded, pushed to the edge, counted out — yet saved by the steadfast love of the Lord. The gates of righteousness swing open not for the powerful or the polished, but for the one who comes in the name of the Almighty. The Most High has a history of taking what others discard and making it load-bearing.

Maybe you feel like that cracked stone today — irregular, overlooked, headed for the scrap pile. But God does not see waste where others do. His love endures forever, and He is building something with your life that no one else can see yet. This is the day the Lord has made. Even now, He is setting you in place.