P.U.S.H.

This past week has been difficult in many ways. I'll spare you the details, but I have been über-busy with all sorts of responsibilities on top of my regular teaching load. In addition to all those responsibilities, our church had funerals three days in a row — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In case any of you formerly lived in Greenville and know any of the deceased, they are Becky Alderson, Alex Chakeris, and Joyce Garland.

All of last week's events left me exhausted physically and emotionally. Hence today's post is one that is more serious than most of what you read on my blog. What I am posting is something I received from a missionary with whom we worked in France on one of our mission teams. She shared it as part of her testimony of what the Lord had brought her through personally in her personal life and in their missionary service. Here's a short version of her testimony:

After their language studies in France, they left for the Cameroon where the husband taught in a Bible school. Early on, the wife contracted malaria. She fought it for as long as she could, and after nine months, they had to return to the US for treatment. When she finally had her health back together, they left for Benin, having been told that perhaps there might be a different strain of malaria there that wouldn't affect her. After fifteen days there, she tested positive for malaria again (the incubation period is 14 days), and they knew they would have to leave Africa again. This time they went to France for treatment, and since they already knew French, they began their ministry there. In the spring of 2000 she discovered that she had cancer, went alone to the US for surgery, returned to France, and then the whole family came at the end of the kids' school year to be with the wife through her chemo. When that was completed and she was given the go-ahead, they returned to France. She shared with us that during these trials she learned total submission to God's will, though at times it was not easy.

As part of her testimony, the wife read the Rock Story to us. I asked her to send it to me so that I could share it with you all.

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Lord 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.

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 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 signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind, "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it," thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

"Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough." And that is what he planned to do, until one day he 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 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 is sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and 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. I, my friend, will now 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 simple obedience and faith in Him. We were never called to move the rock. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains. We are called only to be faithful and to keep pushing.

When a friend disillusions you … PUSH
When your job gets you down … PUSH
When you lose your job … PUSH
When you are tired and battle worn … PUSH
When others misunderstand you … PUSH
When you are accused and are innocent … PUSH
When all looks dark around you … PUSH
When you are weary with the world … PUSH
When all hope seems to be lost … PUSH
When you feel like giving up … PUSH

PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens!

It reminds me of something Dr. Bob Jones Jr. used to tell us in chapel in my student days — (I paraphrase...) "Work as if it all depended on you and pray as if it all depended on God, and you will come out of your courses just fine."

What of this have you found true in your own life?

Christmas Carol update... Tickets for the 11 performances sold out today in the first 90 minutes they were available! On Facebook you can see pictures of some of us at one of our rehearsals last week with some costuming and make up. You can see in several of these pictures how long my hair is getting for my little roles in the play.

quotation...

"Life is not a playground; it is a battleground." - David Yearick

=^..^= =^..^=
Rob

Faith is saying, "Lord, the answer is yes. Now, what is the question?"

Comments

• November 8, 2010, Doug Garland writes: Rob, indeed many times over the last few weeks have felt like pushing against a rock. I will never be the same. God's grace is very real and powerful. May it ever be! Thank you for singing. Many people have emailed me about how much they were blessed by you and Bill singing Victory in Jesus. We sang that song to Joyce in her final minutes before she stepped into glory. It will forever be etched into the hearts of my family. Your labor is not in vain in the Lord! Rob adds: Doug, it was a honor to be able to sing at Joyce's service. Her life truly touched many lives, many of which we won't know about until heaven some day. You and your family will be in our prayers in the days and months ahead.
• November 8, 2010, Flossie writes: Thank you for posting this, Monsieur Loach! It was perfect for tonight. I'm glad I got to read it. By the way -- I managed to get tickets to the Christmas Carol today! I think I got the last ones -- I intern at the elementary school at 11:30 and have an exemption from chapel since I have to leave at 11:10. I went at 11 (I thought it would be empty because everyone was in chapel, but I still had to wait in a long line!) and I managed to get some. I'm so excited and can't wait!! Thanks again for this encouraging post. See you tomorrow in class! ~Flossie Rob adds: I'm glad the post came at a good time for you. I know I needed it. I'm so glad you got tickets. Only 4 of the 25 in my 3:00 class got tickets. :-(
• November 8, 2010, Ellen writes: So sorry to hear about Joyce Garland! And, I think I know the missionary that you mentioned. I met her and her family when they were all back for her chemo. What a sweet testimony they have had. As always, thanks for sharing the post. Rob adds: Please pray for Joyce's family, Ellen. There are still two children at home – one in college and one in high school. And yes, the missionary family has been a wonderful testimony to all who know them. I taught one of their daughters last year at BJ. She's majoring in French! :-) Her dad was one of my students the first year I taught at BJ.
• November 9, 2010, Nancy writes: A timely post, Rob, that I'd like to link to from my Facebook page with your permission. My younger sister has just completed her fourteenth cycle of chemo in a battle against multiple myeloma . . . and for the rest of her life she will either be in treatment or in remission, which is a hard fact for me. She said last week that one of the hardest things she faces is being content with what she knows is the Lord's best for her. The Lord's ways are not our ways, but His way is always best. A time for faith and trust. Thanks for the reminder today. Rob adds: Thank you, Nancy, for your encouraging comment. You certainly have my permission to link to this post ... especially if it will be an encouragement to others. I was wondering about your sister just the other day. I don't believe I've ever met her, but I had heard that she has been through some deep waters.
• November 9, 2010, Michael writes: The Bible tells us that we count those happy who endure. Having a child now I'm learning a little bit how my wife and I often have to do hard things to him that are for his good. How much wiser and kinder is our God. And, as for the story, I Corinthians 15:10 is a biblical support for that idea. Rob adds: Your journey of self-denial for your children has just begun, and it will continue until they need to do the same for you when you are elderly. Being a parent is wonderful for so many reasons, among which are the lessons we would not/could not learn any other way. For the sake of my readers who might wonder what the verse you mentioned states, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." I Corinthians 15:10
• November 11, 2010, Andrea writes: I'm currently enrolled at Liberty University, and the Bob Jones quote definitely applies to my life right now. I have a paper due today, and I should have been working and praying a lot more last week instead of putting it off in favor of other things. Thanks for the iv! Rob adds: I'm glad it hit at a good time for you, Andrea. Keep working hard for your classes, and keep praying for the Lord's assistance and blessing on your efforts.

Related posts:

Related posts

• What If One Lifetime Were like One Year? (1)
• What Does a Teacher Make? (6)
• What Do Moms Do? (0)
• The Dash and the Jar (4)
• The Chair (7)