I think, Rhonda, that the following little story, which I received
several months ago, is a perfect illustration of faithfulness.
April's Dave in Ohio

God once took a young man to the bottom of a steep hill, and pointed out a large stone to the man. The stone was half the size of
the man's house, and was
half buried in the dirt. "I want you to push that stone towards the top of this hill, you are to have no other task." The young man,
determined to do his
Lord's will, set out to do just that.
For weeks the man pushed. When his arms tired, he put his back to the stone and pushed with his back and legs. He'd fall, exhausted,
but as soon as he had
strength to stand he resumed his pushing. As the weeks stretched on, through days of blistering sun and pouring rain and everything
in between, he pushed.
His spirit began to wane. Through all his effort, he was never able to see any progress, never did the stone budge even a hair. He'd
made up his mind that
God had ordered the impossible, and even began to question his own dedication. But in the end, he could think of no better place on
which to hang his trust,
so he continued to push against the stone.
After weeks had turned to years, God returned. The young man fell to his knees in tears, apologizing over and over that he had
failed to make any progress
at all. But God stood him up, and told him "My beloved son, I never told you to move this stone, only to push. And you did. Look at
yourself. Your shoulders
are broad, your arms and legs are strong. Your body has been hardened to withstand the rigors of the outdoors. And, your heart, you
heart has been reformed
be your toils into something much more useful to Me than what is was. No, my son, you did not fail me. You succeeded, and now you
are ready to begin working
for me. The preparations are over."