I was recently reading a European legend about a great kingdom whose roadway to the capital city was obstructed by a large boulder setting in the middle of the roadway not far from the gates of the city. Many travelers were forced to detour around it, and many complained about it's presence and how something should be done about it. Finally, a man came along who was different. He searched and found a large piece of wood to use as a lever, pried the boulder from it's place, and rolled it from the road. Under the boulder he found a small bag and a note from the king.

“Thank you for being a true servant of the kingdom. Many have passed this way and complained because of the state of the problem and spoken of what ought to be done. But you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to serve the kingdom instead. You are the type of citizen we need more of in this kingdom. Please accept this bag of gold that traveler after traveler walked by simply because they didn’t care enough about the kingdom to serve.”

I love this story and the challenge it brings to all of us as we walk our paths in life and run into obstacles along the way. This man had a different outlook than the many that went before him. When he came to the obstacle, he chose to act and serve instead of complaining and wait for someone to take care of it. Today's Monday Mission is to think about the obstacle(s) that you and/or others are facing today that may simply be there to challenge your outlook and provide an opportunity to act and serve?

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)

Photo by Jake Hinds on Unsplash