Once there was a devoted man who spent a great deal of time each day in meditation and prayer. One day in his meditation he heard God’s voice commanding him.
“There is a large boulder in the field just opposite your
house. I want you to push that boulder
with all your might.”
So the man got up immediately and went into the field. He pushed and pushed, perspired and
perspired, but the boulder did not budge.
Finally, exhausted under the dark sky, he returned home. The following morning before sunrise, eager
to complete the Lord’s bidding, he was out in the field again, pushing and
pushing. Still the huge boulder did not
move in inch. This went on for many
days, and then the days became weeks, and the weeks became months. Still the boulder was firm.
Finally, one day the man collapsed in despair. He called out loudly, his voice choking with
tears. “My Lord, I have failed You. You gave me such a simple task and even that I was unable to fulfill. I am useless and unworthy of Your favor. Please forgive me.”
The Lord responded lovingly, “My child, I never asked you to
move the boulder. I put it there, and
thus I am well aware that it cannot be moved by human might. All I asked was that you push against
it. In pushing against that boulder for
the last several weeks, look at how your arms and legs have strengthened. Do you see the firm muscles where loose flesh
had hung before? There is a shine to
your skin now, strength in your step, firmness and flexibility in your
body. This task was not about moving the
rock. It was about molding you. If I wanted the rock moved I would have moved
it myself. What I wanted was for you to
experience physical labor, for you to feel the sun shine upon your skin, for
you to know the fatigue of a hard day’s work and for you to see how much more
potential your body has than what you imagined.”
(Previously published 2/21/2013)
