The story is told of a very wealthy and curious king. His curiosity led the king to study the character of his subjects. One day this king had a huge boulder placed in the middle of a busy roadway. Then he hid nearby to see if anyone would try to remove the gigantic rock from the road.

Some of the wealthiest merchants in his kingdom were the first to pass by. Rather than moving the stone, each of these wealthy businessmen walked around it. Not knowing the king was close by, some loudly blamed the King for not maintaining the roads. But, not one of them tried to move the boulder.

A group of women and children came to the boulder in the road. Believing they could not move the boulder, and considering it too risky to try to go around it, they turned and retreated the same direction from which they had traveled.

Also, passing by the boulder were some of the highest educated men in the kingdom. They too, went out of their way, walking around the boulder, without trying to move it, complaining as they walked. Not one of them stopped to try to move the boulder.

Finally, a peasant came along. His arms were full of vegetables. When he got near the boulder, rather than simply walking around it as the others had, the peasant put down his load and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. It took a lot of effort but he worked at it until he was successful and the boulder was resting on the side of the roadway.

The peasant gathered up his load and was ready to go on his way when he saw a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The peasant opened the purse and found it stuffed full of gold coins and a note from the king. The king’s note said the purse’s gold was a reward for moving the boulder from the road.

The king’s actions demonstrated to the peasant what many of us never understand: every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. We all find obstacles in the road of life. What we do as we approach these obstacles always impacts what we face further down the road. We can stop, turn around, and retreat. We can maneuver around the obstacles and go on our merry way. Or we can do as the peasant; Confront the obstacle, and improve life’s condition for us and those who come behind us.

There may not be a purse of gold under your next obstacle. Still, how will you approach it? Will you face the obstacle and improve life’s condition for you and others? This is worth much more than a small bag of gold.

George Yates is a Church Health Strategist and life coach assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in reaching their greatest potential.