A Roadblock Removed
Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, wanted to build the most beautiful city in the world.
One day, as he traveled to an area north of Moscow, he fell in love with a spot on the Neva River, near the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Some of the area was marshland and would require a lot of work to turn it into a city, yet he was up to the challenge.
Peter had seen the finest buildings in Europe, and he decided to make all the city structures according to the most classical architectural styles. With excitement he planned the layout of the streets and he envisioned this great city, nicknamed Peter’s Paradise.
But he soon discovered a problem. A huge boulder was in the very spot that was planned for the main street. It had to be removed.
The Tsar asked contractors to come forward with bids for the job. Several looked at it but were hesitant because it appeared to be such a difficult task to break the rock into moveable pieces.
Finally, a peasant stopped by and looked the situation over. After some thought, he decided he could do it. He did not ask a high price. Nobody thought he would succeed, but Peter gave him the green light. What was there to lose?
Quickly the peasant gathered many of his friends, and they all brought a shovel, trowel, or some other digging tool. They worked for days and dug a very large hole right next to the boulder.
Then they pushed, shoved, and pulled on that rock until it fell into the hole. After that, it wasshort work to smooth over the spot.
Today the city of St. Petersburg stands as an elegant memorial to its builder. Many years ago I had the privilege of visiting this impressive historic town.
Sometimes we face obstacles that seem impossible to overcome, like the huge rock in the road.
Fortunately, God is a creative thinker and He has solutions to our problems that we never dreamed of. The “stones” of addiction, dysfunction, financial or health crisis, failure, boredom, confusion, haunting past, grief, injustice, etc. can seem daunting. But God is able to help us cope and even thrive. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,” wrote Solomon, “and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3.5,6).