The boulder story

I know not the author, as to the best of my knowledge the source is anonymous, and undoubtedly has some of its roots in Sisyphus from Greek Mythology. This however, is my own personally redacted version:

There once was man who lived in a cabin in the woods. One night, he found himself awoken by the very presence of the Lord.

God said to him, "I have a task for you."

And the man replied, "Lord, I will do what you ask."

God then said, "There is a huge boulder outside of your house. Every day, I want you to push that boulder from the start of sunrise, with all of your might, until the sunsets.”

So the next morning the man woke, and he pushed, and he pushed, and he pushed with everything that he had. Evening came, and he found himself exceptionally tired, but remained faithful in his promise to do what he was asked. He did the same the next day, and the next and the one following. And so he continued doing it for years, going out every morning, and pushing on the boulder with every fiber of his being.

One day, a man came to him and said, "I have watched you for countless days now, and you have been pushing on that boulder with all of your strength, yet it has not moved one bit. Perhaps it is time to stop? But if you are insistent on going out there, maybe you would feel better at the end of the day if you didn’t tire yourself out."

And so the man thought about what the other had said, and became frustrated. He began to push less and less, while his rests grew more and more. Finally, he had just about stopped all together, convinced that it was completely futile to go on, when the Lord came to him once more and said “Why have you stopped pushing as I told you to do?”

The man confessed to God, saying, "Lord, I have struggled and pushed and labored against that boulder for years - and I have done it with all that I am, and yet, I have not moved that boulder one bit in all these years. I'm tired, Lord. I have accomplished nothing, and I fear I have failed you."

The Lord then replied, "My dear, dear child: For years, you have faithfully done all I asked you to do. You have pushed with all that you are against that boulder. You have not failed me. You have done exactly what I asked you to do."

"But Lord," he replied, "what do I have to show for it? I have exactly nothing. Nothing has changed. I am still in this cabin, and the boulder is still in front of it."

The Lord answered mightily, "Much has changed! Behold your muscular arms and look at the vast strength in your chest, shoulders, and back! Look at your calloused hands whose grip is unmatched! Marvel at your legs, which are like rods of iron!”

In a slightly softer voice, the Lord then finished, “Because you have proved yourself faithful to me, you have changed.”

"But Lord," the timid reply came, "I may have changed, but I still have failed. The boulder still remains."God smiled kindly, "When did you ever hear me say to you, 'Move that boulder' or ‘Place it over there’? Never once did I make such a demand, as I merely asked you to push on the boulder, to which you have done wonderfully well. When the time is right, I will move that boulder."