Parable of The Rock:
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his
room filled with light, and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had
work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push
against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to
sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the
unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his
cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in
vain. Since the man was showing signs of
discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts
into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a
long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never
going to move it," Thus giving the
man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he
thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and
that will be good enough."
And that is what he planned to do, until one
day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to
the Lord. "Lord," he said,
"I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to
do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged
that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" The Lord responded compassionately, "My
friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your
task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.
Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was
to push. And now you come to me with
your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But is that really so? Look
at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back is sinewy and brown,
your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive
and hard. Through opposition you have
grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you
haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to
exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom.
This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock."
