Long-term Investment

     A few weeks' hiatus later, here I am with another post.  It's not too much, but a short little inspirational anecdote:

     "A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God 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.

     So this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from every day, 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 discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into his weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved." Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

     That's what the weary man planned to do, but he decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said, "I have laboured 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 ask you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking you have failed. But is it really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy, your hands callused, your legs massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved that rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock."

     When I had some challenges ahead of me, I wrote about it to my bishop back home-- he's the person who oversees the congregation of the church unit I go to.  Anywho, I got a reply back from him with this story attached.  I thought it was worth sharing-- I couldn't find the author, but I will not claim that I wrote it:P