Going Around The Same Mountain?
Have you ever felt like you’re going “around the same mountain” everyday? I know, I know. You never feel that way….
But I did. It was almost like I could predict what was gonna happen every day. I love my family more than life itself. I have a wonderful, generous husband and 3 young, beautiful girls; God has abundantly blessed my family, but I found myself getting frustrated at the long days and wondering if my life was making a difference.
My husband saves lives literally everyday with his work as a doctor. In my mind, THAT is significant! Others have wonderful ministries in the marketplace and in the church. But me…. as a stay-at-home mom, I found myself having to remind my kids to do their chores… again, to take care of our family pet… again, and every night it came as a surprise to everyone that we have to brush our teeth before bed! Going around that same mountain everyday….
I think if we’re truly honest, we’ve all been there. Maybe you’re not a stay-at-home mom. Maybe your mountain is that you feel overwhelmed at work, or your mountain is hard clients or perhaps a difficult boss; maybe your mountain is issues with your spouse or kids. EVERY DAY THE SAME…. AND YOU’RE DROWNING. Frustrated with where you are at and wondering if THIS is somehow part of God’s “grand plan” for your life.
Something had to change. How could I keep doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY? Going around that same mountain over and over and over.
What needed to change? Me.
My circumstances never changed, but my “perception” of them did. My beautiful girls still need reminding to do their chores, feed the cat, and brush their teeth. But, I had to change my focus. I realized I needed to “take my mountain” instead of “going around my mountain…again.” Again, the circumstances never changed. Maybe your boss is still going to make life hard for you at work, or there are real difficulties with your spouse.
So how do you take your mountain?
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
I heard a minister preach on this well-known scripture. I could quote it in my sleep. Honestly, trust can be a hard thing. Trust is believing what He said in His Word, even when you can’t see it yet in the natural.
But He said, “trust…with all your heart…;” that means you have to surrender EVERYTHING to Him. Lay it ALL at His feet… your family life, your spouse, your friendships, your work, your boss, your clients… your mountains…. all at His feet….
My favorite part of that verse though is the second part. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” So, how do I acknowledge Him? If you are a parent, acknowledge or look to God… that He is a perfect Father and daily ask Him to show you how to be a better parent. If you are a doctor, acknowledge or look to Him as the Great Physician and daily ask Him for help being a great doctor. If you are a spouse and there are issues in your marriage, acknowledge that He is the perfect Husband to His Bride, the church, and ask Him daily to show you how you can show covenant love to your spouse. You get the point. It comes with a promise too. When we trust Him and acknowledge Him, “He will direct your paths….”
When I learned how to acknowledge Him and look to Him every day for everything… let me say it again for the people in the back…. When I learned how to acknowledge Him and look to Him every day for everything, I stopped “going around my mountain,” and instead began to “take my mountain.”