Breaking Up Rock or Building A Cathedral?

At a leadership conference I attended recently, the facilitator of the afternoon session told the room the following story (paraphrased from my memory)...

"A man was walking down the road when he came across another man busting up rocks with a sledge hammer. The man working in the heat of the afternoon cussed and grumbled as he broke up the large rock. When the man walking down the road stopped and asked the man what he was doing, he replied that he was busting up rocks for some stupid reason, and he couldn't wait for 5 o'clock to arrive so he could leave this awful employment and go home.

The man walking down the road walked a little farther and came across another man busting up rocks with a sledge hammer. The man working in the heat of the afternoon was grumbling a bit, but didn't seem quite as ill tempered as the man he had just met. When the man walking down the road stopped and asked the man busting up rocks what he was doing, he replied he was reducing the rock to smaller stones, which would be used to build some sort of wall.

The man walking down the road walked farther still and came across a third man busting up rocks with a sledge hammer. After each swing of the hammer, the man busting up the rock would smile, turn the rock a bit, and swing again. He then neatly stacked his finished product in a pile beside him. When the man walking down the road stopped and asked the man what he was doing, he replied that he was creating stones to build a beautiful cathedral."

The moral of the story was that all three men were doing the exact same job, for the exact same project. It was simply their outlook that made all the difference. The story was shared in order to encourage leaders to hire and inspire workers who see the bigger vision, to assure all team members know that they are doing big and important things, and everyone plays a vital role.

I've thought about that story quite a bit over the last week, not just in the sense of being a better leader, but also about my outlook for life in general. When something bad happens do I get bitter, or do I get better? When something goes wrong, am I defeated or am I determined? Do I see challenging interactions with others as inconveniences or opportunities? Am I working for man or for my maker? Am I furthering my finances or furthering my Father's kingdom?

Friends, the work of our hands is meant to bring glory to God and we all play a vital role. What other project deserves our joyful commitment more than that? We have to ask ourselves, are we just breaking up rock or are we building a cathedral?

Much Love, Adam


Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." 

 Psalm 90:17 "May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us: establish the work of our hands for us yes, establish the work of our hands." 

 1 Corinthians 15:48 "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the lord is not in vain." 

 Proverbs 17:22 "A Cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." 

 Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

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