God, the Hill, the Boulder and You

(A Conversation)

You know I didn’t make that up.

Yeah, but you sure nailed me with it.

Only because I know what it feels like.

Yeah, I know you do.

So… back to the metaphor… you feel like you’re pushing a 2,000-pound rock up a hill by yourself.

That about sums it up.

Well give me back my rock!

Dude, you can have it.

Just kidding. You can keep it. It looks really nice rolling over you.

Wow, with friends like you…

Yeah, yeah.  I do have one question about this picture, though.

Okay.

You have the hill, the boulder, and you.

Uh huh.

Where’s God?

Aw man, are you Jesus-juking me?

Ha!  Nooooo. I promise I’m not.  But I do think it’s a valid question.

Well, I know all the “correct” answers.

Stop right there. I’m not looking for your correctness. And I dang sure don’t want to get all religious. Keep the dust on your King James and let’s just talk.

Whatever.  Okay, where’s God in this picture?  I honestly don’t know, and frankly at this point don’t see what difference it makes.

Well, it could make all the difference in the world with what you do with that boulder.

What do you mean?

See You at the Top

Well, maybe God’s at the top of the hill.

Okay.

And maybe He’s up there, cheering you on, hoping you make it.

I can see that.

So you’re pushing that massive rock, all by yourself, but one day it will be worth it because once you get to the top of the hill He will congratulate you and tell you that you made it and He’s so proud of you.

And if I don’t make it?

“Aw man, you came so close! Try again! You can do it!”

That sounds exhausting just to think about it.

Yeah, but think about how often we treat our challenges like that.  “If it’s to be, it’s up to me, but once I get this done, the Lord’s gonna say ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’”

I’ve certainly done that before.

I get it.  But maybe that’s not you at all.  The Lord may be somewhere else in your picture.

Okay?

Sent from Below

Yeah, maybe God’s at the bottom of the hill.

The bottom?

Yeah, He’s like your All-wise Master who has sent you on a quest – a mission.  He has given you a hill to climb, a rock to push, a few rules and boundaries, and sent you on your way.

And what’s He supposed to be doing in the meantime?

Well, if you treat Him as if He’s at the bottom of the hill, then He’s back there surveying your progress, probably cheering you on, and starting a few more people on their journey.

So He’s busy?

Yeah, in a Fatherly kind of way. Of course, if the boulder rolls over your head back down the hill and leaves you flattened, He’ll be there to help pick you back up and all that. After all, He does love you.

That’s encouraging.

Yeah, well, it’s still your rock and your hill.

And what happens when I get to the top and God’s at the bottom of the Hill?

I guess you won’t need Him anymore, now will you?

That’s not true!

No, but if you’re treating God as if He’s at the bottom of the hill, then every step forward is a step away from Him. It’s your way of saying, “I can do this without You.”

I see your point, but I don’t think that’s me.

Good to know.  Lord knows that’s how I’ve treated my boulders in the past at times.

What are the other possibilities?

God in the Rock

Try this one out:  Maybe God is the boulder, or the boulder is God.

What?

Sure.  Maybe it’s so heavy because you’re pushing against Him.

You mean, like being disobedient? I’m not trying to resist God.

No, not at all. I mean maybe you’re treating God as if He’s the one doing the resisting.

Well now that you mention it, it sure does feel that way sometimes.

And you and I both know that in the natural there is value in resistance training.

So God is building my spiritual muscles?

Heck if I know. I’m making this up as I go.  But I will say this – in order to fulfill the mission, He always transforms the man first. Every great rock-pusher I know anything about in the Bible finished the task by letting God develop their spiritual and personal strength.

I know all that about Him not giving me more than I can handle.

Yeah, that’s not in the Bible.

What?

Not there.

Sure it is.

No… he says he won’t allow you to face more temptation than you can handle.

So God IS giving me more than I can handle?

If you unconsciously believe God is in the rock, then yes.

If I believed that I would be accusing Him of being cruel.

Maybe.  Jeremiah did call Him a liar once and got away with it. David accused Him of hiding from him or abandoning him to his enemies for no good reason.

So to borrow your metaphor, they were pushing God up the hill?

Something like that.  And God pushed back.

And they thought He was being cruel.

Temporarily. But they learned to trust His heart, even when they didn’t always understand His methods.

So you think God’s in my rock?

I don’t know. It’s not my rock. But there is one other possibility.

What’s that?

God in You

Maybe He’s in you.

Well I’m a Christian. Of course He’s in me.

Okay, remember, we’re not going for correctness here.

Okay.

So if He IS in you, then what in the world is He doing?

I honestly don’t know.

Let’s put it this way… How would you respond to the hill and the boulder if you believed with conviction that God was in you, and that the power to push the rock didn’t depend on you, but on Him?

I would let Him push the rock.

Okay.

I would trust Him with the results.

Yep.

I would stop treating it like it was my boulder.

Because it isn’t. It’s His.

It’s His rock.

It’s His rock.

And His power!

His power.

I know all those things in my head.

Yeah, sounds easy, doesn’t it?  But that’s why He says we walk by faith and not by sight.

And faith gets tested?

Faith gets tested.

So humor me.  How do I get God to push the rock?

Well if you’re looking for a formula I’m not your guy.  But I’d start with the basics… If you want God to push the rock, ask Him to.

Well I do pray!

Good. In your praying ask God to push your rock.  Seek God’s wisdom about the rock.  Knock on the rock as if you’re knocking on the door to God’s power.

One More Possibility

So there’s God above me, God behind and below me, God resisting me, and God in me.

Yes.

And I know you said we weren’t being correct, but I’m assuming that “God in me” is the right perspective.

Well that’s certainly the most empowering one, but I think each of those has a potential element of truth if you take them all together.  But there’s one more possibility… and it’s a killer.

What’s that?

When there’s you, the hill, and the boulder… and He’s not in the picture at all.

Tagged as: Burnout, Faith, Perspective, Stress