A
little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had
with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic
shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he
discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug round the
rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he
pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very
small boy and the rock was huge.)
When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.
The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved -- but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.
All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"
Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"
"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.
A pearl to string: Do you have "rocks" in your life that you need help with? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When we are broken in spirit and our strength is spent, we can turn to our Savior, Jesus. Does this mean we will never cry again, hurt again, be in pain, struggle or suffer? No.... it means we have a Savior to see us through the trials of life while we are in earth skin. "...Ahhh, listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock your soul but know the bubbling brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks.”
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Philippians 4:13
When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.
The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved -- but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.
All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"
Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"
"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.
A pearl to string: Do you have "rocks" in your life that you need help with? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When we are broken in spirit and our strength is spent, we can turn to our Savior, Jesus. Does this mean we will never cry again, hurt again, be in pain, struggle or suffer? No.... it means we have a Savior to see us through the trials of life while we are in earth skin. "...Ahhh, listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock your soul but know the bubbling brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks.”
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Philippians 4:13
Know you are loved and lean on Jesus.
His Word will shed light where you need it.
In Sonshine,
Lyndi
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