By Dr. Ben Graham
In ancient times there was a wise king who had a large boulder placed in the middle of one of the main roadways. The king then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way.
When some of the king's most prominent citizens, wealthiest merchants and courtiers approached the boulder, they simply walked around it. Many of them loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the huge obstacle out of the way.
The king's heart was heavy. He had always tried to rule his kingdom with love and fairness. To hear such disparaging words from his subjects broke his heart. 
Then after many hours, a lowly peasant came along with a cart of vegetables. As he approached the boulder the young man laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road.
As the king watched, he noticed the peasant was whistling and singing to himself, making up the words as he sang.
This gave the king so much pleasure that he had to pinch himself to remain silent. After much pushing and straining the peasant finally succeeded.
When the peasant walked back to pick up his vegetables he noticed something laying in the road where the boulder had been. It was a purse. When he looked inside, he saw that it contained many gold coins and a note from the king. The note expressed the king's gratitude, and explained the gold was for the person who would remove the boulder from the roadway.
The Takeaway
Life is full of obstacles. Whenever we inevitably come across them in life, they give us an opportunity to improve our circumstances. While the lazy complain, others create opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity and willingness to get things done.
We have a basic choice to make everyday. We can either joyfully work through our obstacles, or choose to just keep repeating the same pattern of complaining. What will you do friends?
