Mark 9:22 “It has often thrown him into the fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
I had a “mountaintop” moment when I went to see Liz Gilbert speak in Nashville last night. I am running on about four hours sleep today but I was still on a high most of the day at work. Work is a lot more enjoyable when you are in a good mood isn’t it? Reality returns eventually though and we come back down off of the mountain. We cannot always remain in an excited state of being. If that were possible I wouldn’t have traveled all over the country since 2002 to see Dave Matthews Band perform live. Their concerts are like the Mt Everest of mountaintop moments for me and the more I attended the more I craved them.
Unfortunately the higher the mountain, the lower the valley. The valley is a cold dark place. The fog rolls in when you are down there and it becomes difficult to see. We find ourselves lost, confused, afraid, hopeless and even desperate. Sometimes when we are in this crisis state, we lose faith in God and instead reach out for help from people who cannot help us. They are possibly helpless too, dealing with their own demons.
I have reached out to people I loved only to be rejected and swept aside. (Yes as usual, my second husband comes to mind). By giving someone a clear NO however, you do him or her a favor. You force them to wallow in the rejection and eventually accept the situation for what it is…time to move forward with life. Moving forward takes faith.
Last night Liz talked about her new book, which is really about overcoming fear to live the life you were born to do. (She stole my idea 😉 ) She said something along the lines of “through your struggles and by going through them on your own, you BECOME a greater version of yourself because you had to fight your way through it.” To me, that is 100% about faith. Nobody can save you but you. If you do not believe in yourself and what God can do for you if you allow Him to help…you have given up. No one else is responsible for your feelings. No one else is responsible for saving you. Only you hold the keys. You gotta find the courage. You gotta believe. You gotta “pull yourself up by your boot straps” as my dad used to tell my mom when she was down. You gotta save yourself.
I have had about a half dozen moments lately that I like to call “God moments.” These are precious moments that others might believe are just random coincidences but I know better. As my faith is growing stronger, God is showing me more and more that He is right there with me. All that is required of me is to believe. We don’t live on the mountaintops all the time but we do not have to LIVE in the valley either. It is about remaining constant in faith no matter what comes your way.
God, I know that disappointments, rejections and NO’s from others are Your way of teaching me how to stand faithful no matter what happens. I will not depend on others to complete me or save me. I only depend on You. As I walk with You, I am never alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessings,
Stacey ~ iamalive