The Sand Box

A little boy was spending his morning playing
in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and
trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic
shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels
in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the
middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock,
managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little
bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across
the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small
boy and the rock was very huge.) When the boy got the
rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found
that he couldn’t’t roll it up and over the little wall.

Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried,
but every time he thought he had made some progress,
the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.
The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, and shoved
but his only reward was to have the rock roll back,
smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into
tears of frustration. All this time the boy’s father
watched from his living room window as the drama
unfolded.

At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell
across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father.
Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t’t you use all
the strength that you had available?” Defeated, the boy
sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the
strength that I had! “No, son,” corrected the father
kindly. “You didn’t’t use all the strength you had. You
didn’t’t ask me.” With that the father reached down,
picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

How many times have we failed when we tried to use all
of our strength to face the trials and temptations this
life has to offer? Why not use all the strength that
is available to us through our Father in heaven? Are
you having a hard time right now?

Ask the Father for help