Why?

[Clint]

God impressed upon a man to daily push on a large rock in front of his home. He pushed on the rock six days a week for three years. After three years of pushing on the rock he began to be discouraged. Listening to the voice of the one who discourages, he complained he had pushed and pushed until his body was as hard as the rock but he had never been able to move the rock. He was ready to quit. An angel spoke to him saying, “God didn’t say to move the rock, He only said to push on it".

Do we spend too much time trying to figure out why God is asking us to do things when we should just do what He impresses upon us to do?

[RedGlitter]

Could it be because sometimes the reward and lessons are not in the goal itself but in the working toward the goal?

Originally Posted by Clint

God impressed upon a man to daily push on a large rock in front of his home. He pushed on the rock six days a week for three years. After three years of pushing on the rock he began to be discouraged. Listening to the voice of the one who discourages, he complained he had pushed and pushed until his body was as hard as the rock but he had never been able to move the rock. He was ready to quit. An angel spoke to him saying, “God didn’t say to move the rock, He only said to push on it".

Do we spend too much time trying to figure out why God is asking us to do things when we should just do what He impresses upon us to do?

Maybe God wanted to see if the man would obey his request.
To see if the man would follow any instructions given to him.
No matter what they were?

[koan]

I think because, despite our beliefs, there is no guarantee that we will survive death in any form we need results that show we have accomplished something. It is hard to work diligently at something without knowing why because if it never made sense we have a fear that we will die without ever having made a difference.

(Ernest Becker would likely back me up )

[theia]

Originally Posted by Clint

God impressed upon a man to daily push on a large rock in front of his home. He pushed on the rock six days a week for three years. After three years of pushing on the rock he began to be discouraged. Listening to the voice of the one who discourages, he complained he had pushed and pushed until his body was as hard as the rock but he had never been able to move the rock. He was ready to quit. An angel spoke to him saying, “God didn’t say to move the rock, He only said to push on it".

Do we spend too much time trying to figure out why God is asking us to do things when we should just do what He impresses upon us to do?

Yes, and although I'd never thought about it before, I do think we spend too much time on the whys. How liberating it would be just to do and not ask the question. That thought cheers me

[Shweet tatersalad]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[Accountable]

I'm an asker. I want to know why. Generally, if I don't see the point in the effort I won't try as hard. It always made me uneasy when a subordinate of mine would follow me blindly, never questioning.

That's not to say I will sit and obstinately do nothing until I get my answer, but that I will spend considerable energy trying to figure it out as I work.

[Clint]

Originally Posted by Accountable

I'm an asker. I want to know why. Generally, if I don't see the point in the effort I won't try as hard. It always made me uneasy when a subordinate of mine would follow me blindly, never questioning.

That's not to say I will sit and obstinately do nothing until I get my answer, but that I will spend considerable energy trying to figure it out as I work.

I’m like you. I’m constantly trying to figure out, why. I need the answer and I need to be able to say I have it. I might push on the rock the day I believed I was told to start pushing on it but I’d quit unless I knew why or at least thought I did. I too often question, analyze, doubt and quit.

I watch people who don’t question and just do things out of loyalty and faith with amazement and respect. I need to question and learn but I think I should to do more without needing the reason first. People who do seem so much more content and they seem to enjoy life more.

I don’t know if I can though.

[Accountable]

Originally Posted by Clint

I’m like you. I’m constantly trying to figure out, why. I need the answer and I need to be able to say I have it. I might push on the rock the day I believed I was told to start pushing on it but I’d quit unless I knew why or at least thought I did. I too often question, analyze, doubt and quit.

I watch people who don’t question and just do things out of loyalty and faith with amazement and respect. I need to question and learn but I think I should to do more without needing the reason first. People who do seem so much more content and they seem to enjoy life more.

I don’t know if I can though.

We're even questioning why we need to ask why!!

Why not do both?

I'm not trying to be funny here, but it seems to me that asking why encourages us to seek the answer, and if at the same time we obey and keep our eyes and ears open, in my experience we get an answer, and then later in life we learn lessons from it all over again when we look back and examine our motives.

Asking why is good.

Obeying is good.

To do both is even better.

But I'm with you Clint, ACC. I do get discouraged.