P.U.S.H.

Dear Friends,

Since Keen and I will be on vacation, this week’s column will be a little different. I’d like to share a newsletter from a man named Larry Perry who emails inspiring stories about once or twice a week to 93,000 of his closest friends from 47 different countries. He has given me permission to share any of these stories. If you would like to be added to his list, you may reach him at larryperry@worldnet.att.net.

The main reason for this vacation is just to unwind and spend time together after two months of non-stop studying for the bar exam. I must admit that the time Keen spent preparing for this test was the most difficult stage of the entire process. The pressure and intensity was indescribable. Even though Keen was the one taking the test, I was on pins and needles and didn’t sleep worth a darn that entire week. When he called after the first day of essays he said he felt pretty good about it and I immediately felt half the weight lifted off my shoulders. Day two was more challenging with 200 multiple choice questions. Keen’s described the whole ordeal by saying that when it was over everyone looked like they’d just had a vasectomy. Although he’s not yet ready to do jumping jacks, he is cautiously optimistic about the outcome. (The test results will be released by mid-September.)

A week or two before the bar exam, Keen left the following message on my cell phone:

“I’ve just got overwhelming love for you in my heart right now. I can hardly express it. But I just wanna tell you that I am so in love with you. You’re on my thoughts all the time. And when we get done with this bar we’re gonna take a little trip for you and me. We might go someplace new to a bed and breakfast. We’re gonna do something, just me and you. And then Kirk and I will do something, too, but we’re gonna do something to reward ourselves for this. Okay?”

So we’ve decided to drive to Grand Junction, Colorado to visit my stepmother who just relocated there from Florida. We’re just going to follow our nose and make impromptu stops along the way as the Spirit moves us. We’re really looking forward to the beautiful scenery and to spending time together.

“Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.” ~ Matthew 15:29 (NKJV)

God bless you all ~

Eileen

(Here is the newsletter from Larry Perry.)

Good Monday Morning Everyone:

It is rainy here in East Tennessee but we need the rain for the crops and preparation for the coming fall months so the rain is beautiful in its own way. I hope that things in your part of our great world are just as beautiful.

Here is a good story for you to think about today.

P.U.S.H.

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 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.

"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 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.

“So Jesus said to them . . . if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
~ Matthew 17:20 (NKJV)

When everything seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H.!
When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H.!
When people don't react the way you think they should...just P.U.S.H.!
When your money looks "gone"; and the bills are due...just P.U.S.H!
When people just don't understand you ... just P.U.S.H.!

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens