We all look for a purpose in life. There should always be a reason for the things we do. This is the essence of what we believe. There is a plan. There is always a plan. Even the nature of our existence on this planet needs to have a plan.
In another brilliant article, Caralyn talks about that.
Whilst reading her article, I was reminded of a story.
One day the Lord told a man he had work for him to do. The Lord showed him a large rock in front of the man’s 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 months he toiled from sun up to sundown, 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 and the stone remained the same place. There was no movement. People around him would cast discouraging remarks and offer suggestions to help move the stone. He raised their suggestions and concerns to God and the Lord said to continue as he had done the whole time. In obedience he continued, but slowly the constant ridicule and the lack of progress began to weigh down on the man. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s mind such as:
“You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. You are never going to be able to move it.”
These thoughts began to discourage and dishearten the man even more.
In the midst of battling discouragement, the man decided to make it a matter of prayer and 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 centimetre. I am failing You.”
To this 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 sinewy and sturdy, 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, son, I did not ask you to move the rock. I simply asked you to push.“
Sometimes, like the stone, you can look at your life and not see the progress. Whether it is a task that God asked you to do or a problem that you seem to be pushing against, and there aren’t any results. Don’t get discouraged. Appearances can be deceiving. It does not mean that there isn’t progress. It all depends on one thing.. “WHY”. The real goal may not be what you perceive it should be.
So if you feel discouraged, you just need to stop, pause for a minute, look at it from a different angle and through the eyes of God in order to see the bigger picture.
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