There is a story that in ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting
the stone out of the way.
Then, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the heavy rock to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining with sweats trickling down his body, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of produce, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
As James 1:2-4 advised us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Facing trials joyfully with you,
Ptrs. Benjun and Malou Uybengkee