Diligence
I've been thinking a lot about diligence lately.
I'm reminded of a story that produces a great visual about what good things can result when we're truly diligent.
God instructs a man to push on an enormous boulder as it sits on the slope of a hill. The boulder is about halfway up the slope, so it's a good jaunt away from the peak. The man starts pushing and grows tired, but he keeps pushing as best he can. The boulder doesn't budge. But he keeps pushing. After a lengthy period of pushing with hardly any results, he looks down at himself and notices how much his muscles have grown. He is bronzed from the sun, his muscles now have incredible tone and definition, and although the boulder has barely budged from where it began, he is able to give it the same amount of energy with far less physical exertion. It had been a grueling process, but in it he had been transformed.
The man spoke with God at that point and apologized for not being able to move the rock, but what he heard back was a profound sentiment that would further transform him. God said, "I didn't ask you to move the rock. I asked you to push on it. I will be the one to move it."
I love that story. And it's so true. I think God's interest is to use many of life's challenging processes to see that we become higher beings in the end. Our responsibility then is not necessarily to conquer them or succeed in the eyes of the world, but rather it's to remain committed to the process and allow ourselves to be transformed as we go through it. Ultimately, God will be the one to decide when it's time to remove the biggest obstacles. Therein lies the blessing.
There are so many ways in which I want to be and need to be transformed. My aim today is to listen intently and keep pushing on the rock. Easier said than done, but where the heart is, lies possibility.
I'm reminded of a story that produces a great visual about what good things can result when we're truly diligent.
God instructs a man to push on an enormous boulder as it sits on the slope of a hill. The boulder is about halfway up the slope, so it's a good jaunt away from the peak. The man starts pushing and grows tired, but he keeps pushing as best he can. The boulder doesn't budge. But he keeps pushing. After a lengthy period of pushing with hardly any results, he looks down at himself and notices how much his muscles have grown. He is bronzed from the sun, his muscles now have incredible tone and definition, and although the boulder has barely budged from where it began, he is able to give it the same amount of energy with far less physical exertion. It had been a grueling process, but in it he had been transformed.
The man spoke with God at that point and apologized for not being able to move the rock, but what he heard back was a profound sentiment that would further transform him. God said, "I didn't ask you to move the rock. I asked you to push on it. I will be the one to move it."
I love that story. And it's so true. I think God's interest is to use many of life's challenging processes to see that we become higher beings in the end. Our responsibility then is not necessarily to conquer them or succeed in the eyes of the world, but rather it's to remain committed to the process and allow ourselves to be transformed as we go through it. Ultimately, God will be the one to decide when it's time to remove the biggest obstacles. Therein lies the blessing.
There are so many ways in which I want to be and need to be transformed. My aim today is to listen intently and keep pushing on the rock. Easier said than done, but where the heart is, lies possibility.
posted by Jen Austin at 9:44 AM
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