A little boy was spending his Saturday 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 boy 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 large.)

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, 
however, he found that he couldn'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, & 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 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 use all the strength you had." You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and
removed it from the sandbox. 

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be
removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them?
There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength
we need.

Isn't it funny how we try so hard to do things ourselves. Sadly,
many adults who have been Christians for years are 
trying to do everything themselves and only turning to 
God as a last resort. God wants to be your first resort.

Let Him help you with your trials, tribulations and temperament.
He loves you so much . . . all He wants you to do is ask Him to help.
When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something!!!
PUSHING AGAINST THE ROCK"