A Modern Parable
A man lived in a small village next to the mountain. Every
morning, he would sit on the bench behind his house, and speak to the Lord.
One day, the Lord said to him “Take the rock you see in
front of you. Put it in your cart and take it to the top of the mountain. It is
needed there.”
That seemed like an odd request. But, it was the Lord
asking, so he picked up the rock, put it in the cart, and started down the dirt
path through town.
It was a gorgeous day, sunny and cool. He was used to
pulling heavier loads, so the task was easy. He even started humming while
making his way to the foot of the slope.
Walking along, he heard his name. He turned, and saw his
uncle in the doorway of his house. “Where are you going?” his uncle called. He
replied: “I am taking this rock to the top of the mountain.” “Perfect! Would you take this bolt of
cloth with you? It needs to be delivered to the top of the mountain too!”
Being generous of heart, the man agreed. The bolt was loaded
into the cart.
Passing another house, again his name was called. “Brother!
Where are you going?” Would he take some of her melons with him? He couldn’t
deny his sister. In the melons went. This happened again and again, and by the
time he got out of the town, he had quite a load.
Pulling the cart on level ground was not easy. But now the
mountain path loomed.
Rising up the path to the summit, the man had to make many
stops. He was getting overheated now, the sweat running down his red face. His
breath became labored in the thinning air.
He started to complain. “Lord! Why did you give me such a
hard task today? I am
getting tired, and my muscles are so sore. I don’t think I’ll make it to the
top. Why did you set me up to fail this way?”
The Lord answered him gently. “My son, I only gave you the
rock to take with you. And that burden was light and easy for you. It was you
who decided to take the additional loads.”
The Lord continued: "Now you are overburdened, and that is right. Those
parcels were never meant for your cart.”
I love this story. It reminds me that God does not choose
ways for me that will make me resentful, overtired and breathless. His burden
is easy and light. Sometimes, I just make my day much more complicated than it has to be.
Labels: God's will, path, purpose
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