The Boulder is Not Meant to Crush You

Sometimes we get under a boulder. We carry it. Shoulder it. Drag it around. Trying to make progress.

But all the while it just feels heavier and you’re getting crushed under the weight. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to just lie down and let it smash you.

But the boulder is not meant to crush you. It’s not meant for you to carry.

It’s meant for you to climb. But first you have to drop it. You have to understand that your own strength will only get sapped. You’ll only falter and stumble. And all the while, you’re thinking,“Woe is me. Why is this so hard?”

But when we see it was meant to give us a foothold to a higher realm — to get beyond our own limited sight — we begin to really see. When we use that rock, not as something to carry, and not as something to just go around, but as something to climb — suddenly we can reach further, we can see further.

But we have to make the first move.

First, we have to drop the boulder — the stress, the strain, the self-absorption. I’m not talking about giving up.

I’m talking about the strain and tension of striving. I’m sure each one of you has your own way to invigorate.

For me, I go for a walk. Pray. Meditate. Exhale. I have a fellowship of friends, a band of brothers to walk with. And I’m thankful for the crew. We’re in it together.

Second, we have to find a foothold for traction and start the climb.

And a funny thing happens. You find that the muscles you were trying to use to lug the rock around are actually much better suited for climbing.

When you climb rock, you can’t only rely on your arms and hands. You’ll tire out immediately, and fall off the face of the rock. You need to find those footholds and use your legs.

The boulder is a step stool. It’s a call to the higher life.