Don't give up!

Just Push

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 sunup 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, feeling that his whole life had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind. (He will do it every time!):

You have been pushing against that rock for a long time but it hasn't moved." Thus, the Adversary gave the man an impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

The enemy of his soul 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 decided to make it a matter of prayer and to 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 of 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 shiny and brown; your core strength will not fail; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now far surpass that which you used to have. True, 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. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.."

How many times, when we hear a word from God, do we use our own intellect to decipher what He wants? What God really wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him... This establishes a kind of handshake where we each contribute our own selves in the relationship. The success lies in the process of "listening with the intent to do the words heard. " All of the benefits sought from a benevolent God come from the simple process of harkening to the voice.

At times we may look at the experience of others to evaluate our own relationship with the Lord. Because this process of "hearing" is singular, the words that the Lord has spoken or not spoken to another are not relevant to out own relationship with Him. We may not judge the hearing of another person, or lack of it; nor may we judge the Lord for His "rewarding" of another in ways that we do not feel He has rewarded ourselves. Either of these judgments will cause the person who engages in them, to stumble. To recover a person must simply forgive; either the Lord or the other person. The other person is only responsible for the words he has heard. If that person is a little "hard of hearing" in a certain area, the "God of all wisdom" is certainly able to look after His own relationship with the person. At times we may tell the other person of "hurts" that the other person has inflicted upon us, as result of not observing the written code given generally to all non-specifically, we may not judge the person as the result of these hurts. We must simple forgive and endure the pain. Knowing that we also have inflicted similar pain upon others, causes us to be able to endure this pain patiently. This is one facet of the principle called Grace.

In summary,
By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong..............................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down.............................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should..................Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due................Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you............................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens

Pass this on to all your loved ones and friends who may need it, they may get it just in time. "
Though no one can go back and make a **brand new start**,
anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. May God Bless You.