Prayer, time, distance and balance are needed to give us perspective. We get distracted by a thousand things. A rock along the path can become a mountain we cannot move. Sometimes all we need is a helping hand to lift it up.
William Breault recounts a story. A monk was walking down a country road. He was going to meet friends who lived a great distance away. Around noontime he began to tire. He was hungry, but he had forgotten to bring lunch. He began to get edgy and distracted, even a bit paranoid about the length of the road, the heat of the sun, and the 'why' of the journey.
Uncentred and distracted, he stumbled upon a rock right in the middle of the road. He hadn't even seen it, so taken up was he with his own thoughts and concerns. With the pain of the wounded toe, however, he immediately became aware of his surroundings.
Why would a rock be right in the centre of the road he was walking on? As though someone had intended it! (The rock started to grow in size.) That's it! Someone had put the rock there, just so he would stumble on it! (The rock grew even larger.) Someone who didn't like him? (The rock by now had grown so large that it blocked the road entirely.)
By this time, the rock had become an insurmountable mountain. The monk was defeated, totally distracted. He sat, staring up at the gigantic mountain that had risen up to block his efforts and frustrate his plans.
Along came a lady on the same road. Seeing the distracted monk, she went over to him and asked him what the matter was. He told her the whole story of his desire and good intentions, how he had been wounded and blocked by the great mountain someone had put in his way.
The lady picked up the rock and threw it to one side. The monk was surprised at this great feat of strength. Ever so slowly the reason why he had started on his journey in the first place came back to his mind — Yes! The journey to see his friends!
That was the important thing. Collecting his thoughts, he got up and continued his journey. As he left the place of his accident, and his fortunate encounter with lady Prayer, he noticed that the mountain was only a rock after all, hardly big enough to prevent him from making his journey and seeing his friends.
Sometimes the rocks we encounter along the way are labels that people put on us. Even if we believe they fit us — often they don't — the expectations of other people can become burdens. They mask who we truly are. They can warp because they do not reflect our true personalities.
Like the paranoid monk we often get distracted by these labels and expectations and forget where we are headed and why we started on our journey. The paradox of living is that those who are most confused themselves and who lack real purpose in their lives, often are the very people who burden others with their unrealistic expectations.
William Breault recounts a story. A monk was walking down a country road. He was going to meet friends who lived a great distance away. Around noontime he began to tire. He was hungry, but he had forgotten to bring lunch. He began to get edgy and distracted, even a bit paranoid about the length of the road, the heat of the sun, and the 'why' of the journey.
Uncentred and distracted, he stumbled upon a rock right in the middle of the road. He hadn't even seen it, so taken up was he with his own thoughts and concerns. With the pain of the wounded toe, however, he immediately became aware of his surroundings.
Why would a rock be right in the centre of the road he was walking on? As though someone had intended it! (The rock started to grow in size.) That's it! Someone had put the rock there, just so he would stumble on it! (The rock grew even larger.) Someone who didn't like him? (The rock by now had grown so large that it blocked the road entirely.)
By this time, the rock had become an insurmountable mountain. The monk was defeated, totally distracted. He sat, staring up at the gigantic mountain that had risen up to block his efforts and frustrate his plans.
Along came a lady on the same road. Seeing the distracted monk, she went over to him and asked him what the matter was. He told her the whole story of his desire and good intentions, how he had been wounded and blocked by the great mountain someone had put in his way.
The lady picked up the rock and threw it to one side. The monk was surprised at this great feat of strength. Ever so slowly the reason why he had started on his journey in the first place came back to his mind — Yes! The journey to see his friends!
That was the important thing. Collecting his thoughts, he got up and continued his journey. As he left the place of his accident, and his fortunate encounter with lady Prayer, he noticed that the mountain was only a rock after all, hardly big enough to prevent him from making his journey and seeing his friends.
Sometimes the rocks we encounter along the way are labels that people put on us. Even if we believe they fit us — often they don't — the expectations of other people can become burdens. They mask who we truly are. They can warp because they do not reflect our true personalities.
Like the paranoid monk we often get distracted by these labels and expectations and forget where we are headed and why we started on our journey. The paradox of living is that those who are most confused themselves and who lack real purpose in their lives, often are the very people who burden others with their unrealistic expectations.
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