The Stonecutter

Once upon a time there was a stonecutter who lived alone.  He made his living by forming stone and cutting rocks into various forms and tools.  For years he worked tirelessly in his workshop along the main road of the city.  One day, as he was hammering granite he heard a crowd shouting cries of herald for the king.  He felt such envy and discontent that he cried out: "Oh if I could only be a king with subjects that shouted joys and praise to my greatness."

Immediately, he was transformed into a powerful king with a whole kingdom full of adoring subjects.    "This is power," he would often think to himself.  For weeks, the man enjoyed his new life until one day he realized that the sun was much more powerful than he was, casting its powerful gaze and light upon the whole world.  So, like before, he boldly asked, "If I could be the sun, then I would have all the power in the world and be content."  Instantly, he was the sun.

As the sun, the man enjoyed bringing warmth and light to all the world.  He relished in the fact that everything depended on his presence.  Until one day, a cloud broke his gaze and hindered him from shining his light upon the world.  He could not accept being stripped of his power, so he exclaimed, "If I could become a cloud, then I would be more powerful than the sun and be able to be content."  In a moment, he became a cloud.

As a cloud, he pooled all of his power to form a gigantic rain cloud.  Wherever he went he would pour down rain with such torrential force that the most powerful of men would hide from his presence.  Rivers were cut and grain was watered by him.  Everything was in awe at his power.  Only the massive rocks were unaffected by his power.  So, like the times before, he cried out in a loud voice, "I would like to be a huge rock and then I would be powerful and content."

As a rock, he was massive and powerful.  The sun and the rain did nothing to him at all.  He felt free and strong until one day, a man walked up to him with a chisel and hammer, and began to chip away at the rock.  The rock cried out, "I want to be a stonecutter!"  And he was transformed back into a stonecutter, living out the rest of his life content with making a living by forming stone and cutting rocks.

Sometimes it is easy to be discontent with our life or with our station.  But no matter where we go, there we are.  We should not try to leave the vocational stations that God has called us to but be joyous that God has made us for a specific reason.  As Paul writes, "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him (1 Cor. 7:17)."  Let us then be content in whatever God has called us to and to do it with absolute excellence!