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.
One night the man thought, “I have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn’t budged. Why kill myself over this?”
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 millimetre. 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 sinew 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 obedient and to push, to exercise your faith and trust.”
When everything seems to go wrong, just push!
