Keep Hitting the Rock

I'm juggling quite a few things these days, and I have to stop to be sure I'm in the moment and that I'm living the life I am here to live. My purpose. By that I mean: there are times when we have dreams...a Word from the Lord. We know God told us something, but it seems like we're far from where we need to be to accomplish it. I have to stop and appreciate what I have accomplished and stop looking at what's lacking. That's the problem I believe many of us deal with. We're so focused on what we haven't done, we don't give ourselves credit for what we have done.

But this post is about hitting the rock. In the very first book I ever published called Destiny Unlimited, I have these special teachers who either take the main character to a place or put her in a situation to learn the lessons of success and making things happen. There was one lesson that has stuck with me (yes, I wrote the book but I can still be blessed by what's written even if it did come THROUGH me). The lesson was with a teacher named Brother Mic (short for microphone). In the lesson, he asks Amethyst if she thought she could split this big boulder. A stake had been driven in the rock and he gave her a sledge hammer to hit the stake with. Amethyst hit that rock and hit it. Feeling like it was useless, she wanted to quit. Brother Mic then asked her if he were to tell her the next blow would split it, would she still quit. Why of course she wouldn't. So she hit it again. And again. She continued until she reached 999 times and with all her might on the 1,000 strike she came down, and the rock DID NOT SPLIT. So she quit. Then another young girl came along and hit it one, two times. "Can I try again?" she asks. "Sure," Brother Mic says. She hits it the third time. On the fourth time, the rock split wide opened! She gets excited. "I did it! I did it!" she yells. Well Amethyst was upset because she believed it had been her efforts that had been the reason the rock ended up splitting.

Brother Mic told Amethyst, "It only takes one. You may not know the number, but just know that there is a number. You should stay until you find the number."

So I say to you: When you're feeling discouraged. Like nothing is working for you as you pursue your dreams. When you want to quit...to walk away. "It only takes one. Stay there until you find the one." Wouldn't it be a shame for you to stop one short of splitting the rock? What's worse is doing so much work and having someone else to come along and reap the benefits just because you gave up.

So when people ask me why I keep doing what I do. Regardless of the disappoints and sometimes hurtful things life has thrown my way, I tell them: "I'm splitting the rock." I don't know about you, but I don't want to quit and wonder if the next blow just might have really been the one.

Until next time...
Vanessa Davis Griggs
Author of: Destiny Unlimited (limited edition available on www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com), and recently releases Promises Beyond Jordan and Wings of Grace.

Keep your head up!

When I was younger, there was a song by Earth, Wind & Fire called "Keep Your Head to the Sky." I liked that song (okay, so I like Earth, Wind & Fire, period!) because it encourages you to keep your head up, or to look toward the hills from whence cometh your help. I spoke two weeks ago to a Tuesday morning church group and in summary I told them, "There are times when you just have to encourage yourself."

That's what I want to say here, right now, to anyone who might be reading this. You may not always have someone to tell you how great you are or that you're doing a great job. But like David did in many of the Psalms in the Bible, speak to your spirit with song and words of encouragement. Tell yourself when your head is drawn to hang down, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." Oh, and lest you forget, you might have to remind yourself that "My help cometh from the Lord!" Tell yourself, "My steps are ordered by the Lord" when you're not sure about the next step to make (or take for that matter). Find the right words, and when or if no one else does it, encourage yourself when you have to!

Until next time...
Vanessa Davis Griggs
Author of: Promises Beyond Jordan and Wings of Grace