I guess I will begin here, I love to hike and honestly it is so difficult at times but when you get to the view it is the most amazing breath taking just divine God created beauty...Beauty when I hear that word I do often think of raw nature the things in nature most people don't see the things God created to bring Him all the glory. Mountains can be some of the most majestic sights one can lay their eyes on. Even in Psalms it talks about mountains.
-Psalms 97:5
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
God created mountains for a purpose, to which I have no idea but one thing speaks of them is they reflect God's majestic awe and wonder. Not a lot of people like the hiking up the mountain part, especially if you are out of shape...
And honestly this has been my life for the past little while I know I am hiking a very steep mountain right now and it is killing me, my spiritual muscles seem to be giving in and are cramping up the higher I climb, and if anything Satan doesn't want me to make it to the top of this mountain for he knows the beauty and Glory God is going to get. And if one thing Satan hates is God getting glory...
God promises us though that we are not ever alone on this journey...
-Deuteronomy 31:6-8 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
-Joshua 1:9 - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.
-Psalms 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
So why is it so hard to climb with God in the tough seasons, when we don't "feel" him near we have to keep trekking and perseverance is let me tell you really really hard at times, I know backpacking up the Rockies in Colorado my backpack at times seemed to be getting heavy to the point of weighing me down... Praise the Lord, that God is so good and carries our burdens for us He helps make the climb a little bit easier, oh yes friends it still is a steep climb up but God has got our backs. At times I know I don't feel that God cares about the small details of my life or I sometimes question does God really care deeply about the pain I am going through but my goodness yes He does. He requires some things from us though while we are climbing... He wants us to I believe 4 things, to Love Him with everything we have, to Trust Him, to Obey Him and to love others.
I look in my life and I see deeply the areas I am struggling, struggling to love others especially but then my goodness it is no doubt that it is because I am not following what God has asked me to do. I am in a very interesting season in my life where I know what God is speaking to me but my heart is so rebellious towards the soft spoken words he has told me,.. one of my biggest things I am learning is I can never love people if I don't first love God with ALL of my heart, how can God enable me to be in a relationship if I am not giving God my whole heart first... Second trusting Him, it is another one of my deepest struggles it is so easy to get caught up in worry that I take my eyes off of Christ and then realize oh my goodness I am sinking... I have to trust Him, He is the author and perfecter of my faith, He knows when I rise and when I fall, He formed me in my mother's womb and scripture points saying He knows what is best for His children. So why, why do I worry? I have no legitimate excuse I try to make them but it all comes down to the lack of trust I am not putting in my beautiful Saviour. God asks us to obey Him, because again He knows what is best for His children. The season I am is so challenging because God has specifically told me to do something but my heart is so wicked above all things and I don't want to, I don't want to wait...
But then I look at the reoccurring theme in human kind since the beginning of Creation. God asked His people to do something and what did they do? The exact opposite... For example
God: Don't eat of the tree of good and Evil
Eve: Ok I won't eat of the tree I promise...
God: Eve where are you? Did you eat of the tree that I told you not to?
Eve: Yes.... Because well excuses, excuses, excuses
God: Abram you will bear a son
Abram: Ok God I trust You
Sarah: God doesn't seem like He is fulling His promise sleep with my maid
Abram: Ok...
God: Sarah you will bear a child at 99
Sarah: Laughs at what God has promised
God: Ok Israelite's I just delivered you and redeemed you from the hands of the Egyptians and now here is the promise land
Israelite's: Ok well we will just worship this golden calf because it brought us out of Egypt
God; Because of your disobedience you will wander the desert for 40 years
There are many more examples in the bible but it is a reoccurring theme, humans are so prone to do the opposite of what God has asked and it doesn't ever end well and honestly I think it breaks my heart knowing I am just like the Israelite's, just like Sarah and most certainly just like Eve... I laugh when God promises something or question did you really say that? God doesn't joke when He promises something.. Lack of obedience with God ends with our hearts turning more away from God. I think so often in my life when I seem to be in a "desert season" or God why don't I see what you're doing, I have to think back to what the last thing God asked me to be obedient in was. And boom there is usually the solution to the problem. I know why my heart is so rebellious because we are sinners saved by grace. And I deeply know that the moments I don't listen to God I am deliberately disobeying Him and in the moment my flesh loves it but right after that I feel that distance, that longing to be back in God's presence in His loving embrace. If anything I am learning while being a nanny is kids don't listen often and you tell children certain things so they will not get injured or hurt. So often this is how I am with God, I don't realize I am that child and God only wants what is best for me to protect me and love me. I just am so rebellious I don't want to do what He has told me because I think I know what is best for my life, but in the end I realize that God is always right He knows us better than we know ourselves.Because if we are not obeying God then we cannot learn to love people.
The only way you can learn to love people is by learning to love Christ first, we look at the fruits of the Spirit and they are LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, long suffering and self control. Love operates as a verb in Christianity it means putting others before yourself. Again another lesson I have learned while nannying kids need that love, but it is a self less love you have to give to them or they will not receive it... It means their needs come before my needs it means that even if they throw a fit that I am still going to be loving in my ways and not ever take my frustration out on them. Loving others with a selfless love is hard but in the end it reflect solemnly the heart of Christ. Who loved me enough to give himself up for me.
This season I am is a different kind of difficulty level than I have ever faced. But I am learning that mountains each have different elevation and steepness levels. I look back and see those other mountains I have climbed but seem to not be as difficult as this but then I remember each mountain is different and they all had amazing views. It is not an easy climb and I wouldn't wish this on a single person but I know God is building my character in this climb and teaching me to let people in to come along side me to hike up this trail and share their water with me if I get a little thirsty. He is teaching me to keep going and not to stop but take baby steps if needed because I don't have to run up this mountain but I can enjoy the view while slowly hiking it. I know the biggest thing is God telling me to wait and I have to obey Him because the view will be worth the wait. The beauty is that when i get tired of this climb His yoke is easy and His burden is Light, that He will take away my backpack so it makes my climb a little more burden-less. What I can say Is God is so good and I am thankful for the mountains He has taken me over and the one I am climbing and the ones to come. I am thankful God hasn't ever left me nor abandoned me. I am thankful for the other believers on this hike that we can encourage one another to keep going.....
God Bless you all...
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