I was searching on Google images a while ago and saw this qoute about gay rights. It read: you don't support gay marriage; You must be a small minded bigot. Another one was "I don't give a shit if you're Christian, Catholic, or even a Nazi; if you don't support gay marriage you can fuck off and die."
I took offense to that because I do not support gay marriage. Another instance, I saw a posting online where someone said "I support gay rights and I'm christian." Another person went on to say that their pastor is gay and has a boyfriend. They seemed proud of the fact that they were a gay supporting christian.And I can understand why they would be proud. So many anti-gay christians are hateful and condemning. So that causes the other side to become defensive and conditioned that all people against them are like that. So they in turn become exactly what they are accusing the anti side of being like. It's a mess.
Here's the way I see it; the issue of being gay is not up for opinion. People argue whether gay is normal or not but it's not up to what you think or what I think. God has the final say because He's the One that created this world, He's the One that created us. It's up to Him. What does He say about the matter? That no man should lie with another man and no woman should lie with another woman. He says it's wrong so IT IS wrong. That being said let's go and review something else God said: Love thy neighbor. Love thy enemy. Love the Lord with all your heart.
This is exactly my viewpoint on the matter. I don't support gayness in any way. I never will. However, that does not mean I'm hateful toward the gay community. No, not at all. No one on this earth is perfect. The criteria for getting to heaven is not based on whether or not we have sinned. If it was, then none of us would get in. As true Christians we should stop condemning one another and share the message we are suppose to deliver. And that message is God knows we are flawed and far from perfect. He knew what our destiny would of been so He sought to change that by giving up His son Yahushua. He rewrote our destiny. All we have to do is accept the fact that we are flawed. That we are far from perfect and we need His help. To love the Lord with all your heart means keeping His commandments and His message. Living your life and trying to be like Yahushua, the Son of God did. If you really have a love for God, then you wouldn't hate the people He loves. Because He does, He loves everyone, even the sinners. It's those very sinners he sought after to save in the first place! So yes, God hates sin but he loves the sinner and is waiting for the chance to forgive them.
That's why I scrunch my eyebrows at these people who are proud of the fact that they are gay supporting Christians. I guess I know where their hearts are coming from; wanting to love everyone like we should. I just think they're going at it the wrong way. God would never condone sin, so why are you doing it? It's a dangerous thing when you group the sinner in with the sin because if you accept the person you automatically accept the sin. And by accepting sin, aren't you in a sense, promoting it? That's why it's important to separate the two.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Rock, Pebbles, and Sand
A teacher places a glass jar on her table and faces her
students. “This is your life,” she says.
“It is yours to fill with whatever you wish.”The teacher takes a bag of rocks and carefully places them one by one in the jar until it is full. “These rocks are the big important things in your life that you will be the most proud of at the end of your days.”The teacher then scoops out several handfuls of pebbles from a second bag and lets them fall into the jar, shaking the jar slightly so the pebbles fall into and fill the space between the rocks. “These are the secondary things in your life that gives it meaning, but perhaps are not ‘your life’s work’. The teacher then takes a third bag containing sand and pours it into the jar, filling the space between the pebbles. “Finally, the sand is the little stuff that fills our days, like watching TV or playing games.”The teacher looks out over her students and asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?”
“It is yours to fill with whatever you wish.”The teacher takes a bag of rocks and carefully places them one by one in the jar until it is full. “These rocks are the big important things in your life that you will be the most proud of at the end of your days.”The teacher then scoops out several handfuls of pebbles from a second bag and lets them fall into the jar, shaking the jar slightly so the pebbles fall into and fill the space between the rocks. “These are the secondary things in your life that gives it meaning, but perhaps are not ‘your life’s work’. The teacher then takes a third bag containing sand and pours it into the jar, filling the space between the pebbles. “Finally, the sand is the little stuff that fills our days, like watching TV or playing games.”The teacher looks out over her students and asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?”
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Rose
| Disillusioned
by life with good reason
to frown For the world was intent on dragging me down And if that weren't enough to ruin my day A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his hand tilted down And with great excitement, "Look what I found!" In his hand was a rose, what a pitiful sight With it's petals all worn - not enough rain or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead rose and go off to play I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side And placed the rose to his nose and declared with surprise, "It sure smells pretty And it's beautiful too That's why I picked it Here, it's for you." The weed before me was dying or dead Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave So I reached for the rose and replied, "Just what I need." But instead of him placing the rose in my hand He held it in mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time That weed-toting boy could not see -- he was blind. I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun As I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see A self-pitying woman beneath the old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child at last I could see The problem was not with the world -- the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind I vowed to see beauty in life and appreciate every second that's mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose. And smiled as I watched that young boy -- another weed in his hand About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man. --Author Unknown-- |
|
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
From My Perspective
I've recently been spiritually reawakened and with that comes doing things and saying things to people, particularly unbelievers, with an eternal perspective attitude.
I'm not ranting or raving or writing with an ounce of negativity here. These are just some of my ideas expressed in a completely neutral and respectful tone filled with notes of genuine care and sincerity.
I realize that some people do not believe in God. I respect people's belief and their freewill but that's not going to stop me from voicing out mine. It's not something I'm actively choosing to do; it's what I have to do. Not because I want to or feel comfortable doing so but it's what God wants. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to tell people but sometimes the uncomfort feeling gets overwhelming. It doesn't matter though because I know that these people will understand someday, be it good or bad. They will either be extremely grateful or filled with the worst regret ever. Say you didn't believe and go about your life. What if you're wrong? It's not something you can be wrong about. You just can't. It's like my one quote: people insure their cars, they insure their homes, they even insure their own lives, but they don't take the time to insure their souls. The one thing that matters.
You have to understand that I'm not just going to let you sit there when I see you making the wrong decision. The worst one of your life. It's what anyone would do on this earth. You see someone drowning, jump in and save them. See someone choking, perform heimlich. For any earthly troublesome encounter, the human spirit is to help. So why is that any different when it comes to the soul? If someone saved me from drowning I would be thankful toward them. The difference is that with the spirit, the process is drawn out. You have to wait longer to experience the results of the other person's helpfulness. On earth, it's easier to be grateful for someone saving your life because they save you while you are in the process of dying. With the spirit, it's harder to be as grateful because you are saved before you are actually dying.
You see, you can't afford to get this whole believing thing wrong. It's hit or miss. It might seem like this stuff is being forced upon you if you don't believe. But is it really? I think that yeah, some people do go about it the wrong way and shove stuff down people's throat. That's not what I do or what I intend to do. I simply tell people the plain truth. You have to distinguish between the two: shoving and telling. So many times I think people think that they're being shoved upon when really that's just what they themselves feel. They feel it because it's something new and not necessarily because the person said it in a shoving manner. You get what I'm saying? Everything appears different on the outside looking in. But like I said, I'm not going to just sit back... I'm going to tell.
Just imagine being sent to hell, a place of torture and pain forever, knowing that you could of had a way out. You know it's your own fault that you are here because you remember the warnings of your friends. Now imagine being sent to hell but, even though you felt God's tug at your heart to accept Him and know deep down you made a conscious choice not to believe, still, no one bothered to tell you how to avoid this place. You were never told. They obviously knew how to stay away from this awful prison, because they're not here. They knew the way out but they didn't share it with you. I guess they didn't see the importance of telling you. I guess they didn't care strongly enough about you to voice their concern and now every minute is filled with despair and agony that you will never escape from. They knew full well of your beliefs and where you were heading but they for some petty reason didn't point it out. They were content in letting you be wrong. Why couldn't they of at least mentioned it, that way i would've been informed, you think to yourself. Maybe God and their concern would of been enough to convince me. What i would now give if they had only said something.
I DON'T WANT ANYONE I KNOW TO FEEL LIKE THAT.
You know, I think so many people are turned off by God because they link Him with religion. All these crazy extremists fighting holy wars and killing people. The truth is, God didn't create religion, we did. God didn't require you to go to church...just to be unified in Him. Does that make you see God any differently? It does for me. Believe me, I was at the front of the line for people who was fed up with God and these "holy wars"and whatnot. I didn't know what to believe. How could God really claim to be a loving God. I actually cursed to God and accused Him of things. I admit, it wasn't pretty at all so believe me when i say I know where people, perhaps you, are coming from. But then something amazing happened. I caught myself and realized I might be getting ahead of myself and assuming some things and so I asked God [desperately even pleadingly] for the truth. And within a short time I discovered it and realized a lesson that can only be learned once you're a believer: that things are so much different when you're on the inside looking out. And how much of a snare misunderstanding can be. That's one of Satan's #1 goals: to turn people away from God anyway he can.
Another thing people don't realize is that paying for your sins is a natural law. Just like the law of gravity is a law of nature; well so is paying for your sins. In the Old Testament, paying for your sins meant killing an innocent animal with sacrifice. For that's the price of sin: death. A death of an innocent to be more direct. We have it so easy. Say you are at the grocery store about to pay for a lot of groceries, say $300 worth. But just as you're about to pay someone else steps in and pays it for you. All you have to do is accept and say okay. You thank the person and you walk out together and get to talking and knowing each other over time. You find that they really are the nicest person you've ever met.
This is not much different than what we have to do. You see, everything is paid for. We just have to say yes and all our sins will be paid. You will see by getting to know this person that they really are the nicest person with the truest sincerity. The difference with us is that a part of saying yes is to agree to turn toward this person for assistance and to recognize them for being the only One who was willing to pay for you. A part of saying yes, is to go out and do your own act of kindness that resembles this one. Instead of paying the bill for someone, you have to give them a voucher with instructions that says how they can redeem their "free groceries".
It's a law for sins to be paid and if yours isn't than consequences have to be met just like if you neglect your loan payments. The consequence in this case comes in the form of a punishment. This punishment is death for that is the price of unpaid sin. Wait, I said above that the price of sin had to be an innocent death. You're not innocent so what gives? Death of an innocent is how you pay sin. Death in the form of eternal torment is how you repay sin. Repay, as in never paid, as in making a "late" payment. Or you can look at it like this: the price for sin changes once you die. You can either take the "on sale" price or the actual price. You have to pay one or the other. You can only buy "on sale" when you're alive, once you die you are locked in for the actual price if you didn't already get it on sale.
I don't know how much more lazier we can get. Christ already paid this sin for us, all we have to do is accept it and recognize it and get busy handing out those vouchers. How can you not like someone for doing/paying all that? It's amazing when you really think about it.
That's all I'm doing. I'm handing out these "vouchers" because that's part of what I said yes to. When you see an act of kindness, you want to imitate it with your own because that's how kindness spreads.
Dear Friend, this was and is always my intent.....
I'm not ranting or raving or writing with an ounce of negativity here. These are just some of my ideas expressed in a completely neutral and respectful tone filled with notes of genuine care and sincerity.
I realize that some people do not believe in God. I respect people's belief and their freewill but that's not going to stop me from voicing out mine. It's not something I'm actively choosing to do; it's what I have to do. Not because I want to or feel comfortable doing so but it's what God wants. Now, don't get me wrong, I want to tell people but sometimes the uncomfort feeling gets overwhelming. It doesn't matter though because I know that these people will understand someday, be it good or bad. They will either be extremely grateful or filled with the worst regret ever. Say you didn't believe and go about your life. What if you're wrong? It's not something you can be wrong about. You just can't. It's like my one quote: people insure their cars, they insure their homes, they even insure their own lives, but they don't take the time to insure their souls. The one thing that matters.
You have to understand that I'm not just going to let you sit there when I see you making the wrong decision. The worst one of your life. It's what anyone would do on this earth. You see someone drowning, jump in and save them. See someone choking, perform heimlich. For any earthly troublesome encounter, the human spirit is to help. So why is that any different when it comes to the soul? If someone saved me from drowning I would be thankful toward them. The difference is that with the spirit, the process is drawn out. You have to wait longer to experience the results of the other person's helpfulness. On earth, it's easier to be grateful for someone saving your life because they save you while you are in the process of dying. With the spirit, it's harder to be as grateful because you are saved before you are actually dying.
You see, you can't afford to get this whole believing thing wrong. It's hit or miss. It might seem like this stuff is being forced upon you if you don't believe. But is it really? I think that yeah, some people do go about it the wrong way and shove stuff down people's throat. That's not what I do or what I intend to do. I simply tell people the plain truth. You have to distinguish between the two: shoving and telling. So many times I think people think that they're being shoved upon when really that's just what they themselves feel. They feel it because it's something new and not necessarily because the person said it in a shoving manner. You get what I'm saying? Everything appears different on the outside looking in. But like I said, I'm not going to just sit back... I'm going to tell.
Just imagine being sent to hell, a place of torture and pain forever, knowing that you could of had a way out. You know it's your own fault that you are here because you remember the warnings of your friends. Now imagine being sent to hell but, even though you felt God's tug at your heart to accept Him and know deep down you made a conscious choice not to believe, still, no one bothered to tell you how to avoid this place. You were never told. They obviously knew how to stay away from this awful prison, because they're not here. They knew the way out but they didn't share it with you. I guess they didn't see the importance of telling you. I guess they didn't care strongly enough about you to voice their concern and now every minute is filled with despair and agony that you will never escape from. They knew full well of your beliefs and where you were heading but they for some petty reason didn't point it out. They were content in letting you be wrong. Why couldn't they of at least mentioned it, that way i would've been informed, you think to yourself. Maybe God and their concern would of been enough to convince me. What i would now give if they had only said something.
I DON'T WANT ANYONE I KNOW TO FEEL LIKE THAT.
You know, I think so many people are turned off by God because they link Him with religion. All these crazy extremists fighting holy wars and killing people. The truth is, God didn't create religion, we did. God didn't require you to go to church...just to be unified in Him. Does that make you see God any differently? It does for me. Believe me, I was at the front of the line for people who was fed up with God and these "holy wars"and whatnot. I didn't know what to believe. How could God really claim to be a loving God. I actually cursed to God and accused Him of things. I admit, it wasn't pretty at all so believe me when i say I know where people, perhaps you, are coming from. But then something amazing happened. I caught myself and realized I might be getting ahead of myself and assuming some things and so I asked God [desperately even pleadingly] for the truth. And within a short time I discovered it and realized a lesson that can only be learned once you're a believer: that things are so much different when you're on the inside looking out. And how much of a snare misunderstanding can be. That's one of Satan's #1 goals: to turn people away from God anyway he can.
Another thing people don't realize is that paying for your sins is a natural law. Just like the law of gravity is a law of nature; well so is paying for your sins. In the Old Testament, paying for your sins meant killing an innocent animal with sacrifice. For that's the price of sin: death. A death of an innocent to be more direct. We have it so easy. Say you are at the grocery store about to pay for a lot of groceries, say $300 worth. But just as you're about to pay someone else steps in and pays it for you. All you have to do is accept and say okay. You thank the person and you walk out together and get to talking and knowing each other over time. You find that they really are the nicest person you've ever met.
This is not much different than what we have to do. You see, everything is paid for. We just have to say yes and all our sins will be paid. You will see by getting to know this person that they really are the nicest person with the truest sincerity. The difference with us is that a part of saying yes is to agree to turn toward this person for assistance and to recognize them for being the only One who was willing to pay for you. A part of saying yes, is to go out and do your own act of kindness that resembles this one. Instead of paying the bill for someone, you have to give them a voucher with instructions that says how they can redeem their "free groceries".
It's a law for sins to be paid and if yours isn't than consequences have to be met just like if you neglect your loan payments. The consequence in this case comes in the form of a punishment. This punishment is death for that is the price of unpaid sin. Wait, I said above that the price of sin had to be an innocent death. You're not innocent so what gives? Death of an innocent is how you pay sin. Death in the form of eternal torment is how you repay sin. Repay, as in never paid, as in making a "late" payment. Or you can look at it like this: the price for sin changes once you die. You can either take the "on sale" price or the actual price. You have to pay one or the other. You can only buy "on sale" when you're alive, once you die you are locked in for the actual price if you didn't already get it on sale.
I don't know how much more lazier we can get. Christ already paid this sin for us, all we have to do is accept it and recognize it and get busy handing out those vouchers. How can you not like someone for doing/paying all that? It's amazing when you really think about it.
That's all I'm doing. I'm handing out these "vouchers" because that's part of what I said yes to. When you see an act of kindness, you want to imitate it with your own because that's how kindness spreads.
Dear Friend, this was and is always my intent.....
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Ant and the Contact Lens
http://www.jokesnjokes.net
By: Author Unknown
Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff.
In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."
Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lost a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it.
Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When he told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."
I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But if you want me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
By: Author Unknown
Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff.
In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."
Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lost a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it.
Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When he told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."
I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But if you want me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
His Poem
Thank You for always being there
Even the times i accused You of being unfairThat was in the beginning when i hardly knew You
Before i spread my wings into skies of blue
I was just a young eagle learning to fly
All i needed was Your gentle push to soar so very high
I've never been the type with that many friends
Something that always made my spirit descend
But now it doesn't bother me
For now i see
You're the perfect kind of friend
The One on which i can truly depend
I eagerly wait for the day to be where i belong
Going home and praising You in worship song
I'll do my job while I'm here on earth
Helping others to share in this wonderful rebirth
Thank You for always being there
For teaching me with the deepest level of care
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pushing Against the Rock
By: Author Unknown
There was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had a 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. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture 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. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it? etc."
Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day 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 a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when long ago 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, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back 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 TO BE OBEDIENT, TO PUSH AND TO EXERCISE YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN MY WISDOM. This you have done. I, my friend, I will now move the rock."
I think this is a good moral of the story message. Often times we derive our own meaning in what God wants for us. We think we don't measure up because to ourselves we don't. Although if we just stick with God's plan then we WILL measure up and we have to trust in that. Sometimes it's hard; say you're talking to an atheist. You try so hard to win him over but neither one of you budges from your viewpoint. In fact, you believe even more in what you're saying and have more conviction. Maybe that's the point. You did what you could and planted that seed. You may not get to see it grow but all you can do is trust God to water it and make it grow into something.
There was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had a 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. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture 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. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it? etc."
Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day 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 a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when long ago 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, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back 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 TO BE OBEDIENT, TO PUSH AND TO EXERCISE YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN MY WISDOM. This you have done. I, my friend, I will now move the rock."
I think this is a good moral of the story message. Often times we derive our own meaning in what God wants for us. We think we don't measure up because to ourselves we don't. Although if we just stick with God's plan then we WILL measure up and we have to trust in that. Sometimes it's hard; say you're talking to an atheist. You try so hard to win him over but neither one of you budges from your viewpoint. In fact, you believe even more in what you're saying and have more conviction. Maybe that's the point. You did what you could and planted that seed. You may not get to see it grow but all you can do is trust God to water it and make it grow into something.
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