The Immovable Object

you do have that in your life too, don't you? that something (or somethings) which you cannot push aside, pull out of the way, or lift, or break, or change, however hard you try.

the immovable object.

it sits there, most of the time right in the middle, horribly, stubbornly.

and it frustrates you.

one of my friends told me, "there are things you cannot change, what you do is work around them."

another says, "acceptance does it. you sit back and take what life gives you. maybe it's meant that way."

still another would say, "appreciate it for what it's worth."

but i think i found a better answer.

"A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had 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.


So, 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 of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.


Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: "you have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.


Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this?" "Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough." That's what he planned to do, but 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 by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"


The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of 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 with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, 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 and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock."


At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves mountains.


Let God move it for you. 


:D


---
story found in http://www.moytura.com/reflections/push.htm

How to Grow

  It is the privilege of the young, as they grow in Jesus, to grow in spiritual grace and knowledge. We may know more and more of Jesus through an interested searching of the Scriptures, and then following the ways of truth and righteousness therein revealed. Those who are ever growing in grace will be steadfast in the faith, and moving forward.  {AG 284.2}

     There should be an earnest desire in the heart of every youth who has purposed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ to reach the highest Christian standard, to be a worker with Christ. If he makes it his aim to be of that number who shall be presented faultless before the throne of God, he will be continually advancing. The only way to remain steadfast is to progress daily in divine life. Faith will increase if, when brought in contact with doubts and obstacles, it overcomes them. True sanctification is progressive. If you are growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you will improve every privilege and opportunity to gain more knowledge of the life and character of Christ.  {AG 284.3}

     Faith in Jesus will grow as you become better acquainted with your Redeemer by dwelling upon His spotless life and His infinite love. You cannot dishonor God more than to profess to be His disciple while you keep at a distance from Him, and are not fed and nourished by His Holy Spirit. When you are growing in grace, you will love to attend religious meetings, and you will gladly bear testimony of the love of Christ before the congregation. God, by His grace, can make the young man prudent, and He can give to the children knowledge and experience. They can grow in grace daily.  {AG 284.4}

     As long as we continue to keep our eyes fixed upon the Author and Finisher of our faith, we shall be safe. But our affections must be placed upon things above, not on things of the earth. By faith we must rise higher and still higher in the attainment of the graces of Christ. By daily contemplating His matchless charms, we must grow more and more into His glorious image. While we thus live in communion with Heaven, Satan will lay his nets for us in vain.  {AG 284.5}

Ellen G. White
God's Amazing Grace

"learn the eloquence of silence."

"i think God is your cushion." -glorie lou pasa

(on the wonder of me being okay despite everything)
very true, glorie. very true.

time for change

To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;  

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, 

and a time to refrain from embracing;  

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

This passage has always owned a special place in my heart. It's the answer to the many many questions in my mind in and in my friends' minds. 

Yesterday afternoon was that point in time where the old self and the need for a new one met. And the answer to the question "when?"' just sat there in our midst: now.

A time to pluck up that which is planted.

A time to lose. A time to cast away.

And a time to gather myself together, build up, sew.

A time to be born... again.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  John 3:6, 7

What's In a Name?

a rose, they say, by any other name would smell as sweet. so what's in a name?

when i was younger i thought of words as very limiting. how they don't really say what you want them to say. growing older, i added that words are supposed to be limiting. they limit thought to the object being referred to. they operate by means of exclusion, excluding all other concepts except the concept in thought.

so what's in a name?

have you, like me, experienced the uncomfortable feeling of having someone not close to you call you by your nickname?

people call me lots of different names: Gladys, Glad, Glads, Glayds, Dys, Glai, Glay, Gly, Badat, Datens, Dat, Lalai, Bibi (what my lolo calls me), Bibing (what my aunt calls me), little sister, Bait, June (somehow i cannot yet warm to being called this).

and it always matters who calls me what. i'd be most uncomfortable if my former boss would call me Bibi or if my current co-workers would call me June.

it makes me realize that i am many different things to many people. in the same way that they are many different things to me and to other people.

sometimes, nothing so encapsulates what a person is to you more than his or her name.

in the Bible, for example, many characters lived up to their names.

we have Jacob whose name means supplanter. Jacob did supplant his brother by taking away his birthright. and Jacob was repaid with the same trickery when instead of Rachel, he was given Leah to wife.

there's Noah whose name means rest, comfort, or repose. wasn't the ark of Noah in a literal sense an ark of rest and comfort amidst the storm that raged upon earth as never was and never will be again?

then there's King Saul whose name means "prayed for."

the list goes on.

there are times when i find myself calling out a name again and again in the middle of a surge of sadness, and i realize now that there really is only one Name i ought to call on.

did you know? the name Jesus means "The Lord is our Salvation."