One day God entrusted his servant with a job. He showed him a huge stone in front of his house and said that the man's task would be to push this stone with all his might. And the man did this day after day, day after day. From sunrise to sunset, for many years. His shoulders directly touched this cold stone, which did not move when a person pushed it for many years. Every day the person returned home tired, exhausted, feeling as if the day had been wasted. Satan noticed that this man was showing depression, and decided to do his bit. He planted negative thoughts in the person's mind; “You’ve been pushing this stone for so long, but it hasn’t moved at all. Why are you killing yourself like this? You will never budge it." Thus, he convinced the man that his task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged the man from continuing the work God had entrusted to him. “Why bother so much,” the man thought, “I worked so hard, but the result is not visible, I’d better not overwork, I’ll push slowly.” And so the man planned to do, but one day he decided to pray and tell the Almighty about his experiences. He said: “My God, I have served you long and hard, I have put all my efforts into fulfilling the task you gave me. Until now, although so much time has passed, I have not moved this stone even half a millimeter. What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I do it?” Then his God responded with understanding and compassion: “My friend. When I asked you to serve me, you agreed. I told you to push the stone as hard as you could - and you did. I never said I expected you to move him. And now you come to me exhausted, thinking that you have failed me. But is this really true? Look at you. Your shoulders have become strong and toned, your torso and arms have become stronger, and your legs have become more resilient and muscular. Thanks to constant efforts, you have become stronger, and your capabilities today are far greater than those you had before you started working. Yes, you really didn’t move this stone from its place, but most importantly, I expected obedience, faith and trust in me from you. And you did it. And now I will move this stone from its place.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru