When Mountains Don’t Move

I know mountains. I’ve gazed at their beauty from a distance. I’ve skied down them. I’ve driven the winding roads to the top of them and embraced the beauty from the top looking down. And I know MOUNTAINS -- those vast, enormous obstacles and circumstances that seem beyond overwhelming.

We think that if only these mountains were removed, our lives might be more peaceful. But, there must be mountains to appreciate the valleys. And perhaps, God, in all His wisdom, is wanting us to scale those mountains. He is wanting us to hike up those mountains for a “mountain-top experience” where we are refreshed, restored, nourished, and where we receive divine revelation. His revelation is always intended to grow our faith, strengthen our resolve, and equip us to take on any mountain that may be standing in our way.

I sang along as my car radio played Lauren Daigle's “I Will Trust in You” song. I meant the words as I belted them out with her:
“When You don't move the mountains I'm needing You to move; When You don't part the waters I wish I could walk through;;
When You don't give the answers as I cry out to You;
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You”

It’s difficult to trust someone when they’ve let us down by mistakes they made and we wonder if we can ever trust them again. Oh, but not so with our God. He is dependable, true, honest, unwavering, loving and faithful in all His ways. So when our mountains aren’t moving, we can do but one thing – trust in He Who knows best. Father knows best.

I speak from firsthand experience…..again. Through the heartaches, amazingly, I experienced more of God’s love. It’s unlike anything the world can offer. Sure, I’ve cried and even had some wailing times, but God extended strength, peace, and joy during the difficult times. Only God, the Creator of all good things, could have carried me through those times.

Do you ever stop to consider God’s point of view when you’re going through a hard time? He’s a good, loving Father. He could have changed circumstances with a snap of his holy fingers, but He decided on the slow – let her "trust in Me" grow-times. I can see clearly now. He wanted me to share my story with others who have experienced pain, loss and disappointment. Maybe He saw how it all would strengthen my faith and the faith of others. Maybe He saw how He would be glorified.

And, maybe, God intervenes more than I realize, maybe, more than we all realize, and maybe God might have prohibited a situation from happening that would have been even more difficult. I sure don’t know it all, but I do know I just need to trust my good, loving Father. Whether it seems big or small, God cares and desires to reveal His love for you. Let’s trust God, even when our plans don’t seem to align with His.

God Has a Plan -- STAND!

At age 14, I was a volunteer Candy Striper at a Dallas hospital. The unique title went with the candy cane, red & white-striped pinafores that we wore. In those days, I aspired to become a nurse, so I took flowers and mail to patients, refilled their water jugs, and other incidental duties. But, those plans were dashed when I married my handsome 18-year-old sweetheart when, at 17, I graduated high school. I became an office clerk to help put him through college. The next year, I gave birth to our son. If I had it to do all over again -- I’d do it all over again -- because that was the journey that God destined for us! Looking back through the rear view mirror and living with “if only” thoughts does not serve us well. God always tells us to press on, go forward, rise and shine, and "remember not the former things" (Isaiah 43:18)!

Unexpectedly in our journey of faith, I did become an “unofficial” nurse – not as I had dreamed it to be, but one God called me to at the time. My husband had a severe staph infection that required 8 weeks of antibiotics by I.V. After brief training, I was able to give him the I.V. three times a day. I’ll admit my hesitancy to take on such a critical responsibility that I had only witnessed the "pros" (RN's) perform in the hospital. At first, it seemed overwhelming, with so many sterilizing techniques, flushing the lines, clamping and not clamping, and calculating the drip timing, but I got it down quite well.

The challenges we faced were often daunting, and Nurse Donna continued to be on duty until my sweet man graduated to heaven. But, we never wavered from our STAND of faith. God’s Word was our surest foundation in every turn of the road in our journey. We knew our faith, as well as the prayers and support of friends and family, gave us the tenacity to "STAND" and press on to the finish line. These lyrics of gospel recording artist, Donnie McClurkin, “Stand”, undergirded us. I give these words to you to encourage you in whatever role you may find yourself in -- as someone’s nurse, caregiver, companion, friend, or, even to be the one that is the recipient of the love and care - wherever your journey takes you, today, or in the future, let these words resonate within you and encourage you to keep STANDING!

“STAND”, by Donnie McClurkin
Tell me, what do you give when you've given your all,
And it seems like you can't make it through?
Well you just stand, when there's nothing left to do.
You just stand, watch the Lord see you through.
Yes, after you done all you can, you just stand.
You just stand, and endure,
God has a purpose, yes, God has a plan.

Don't you dare give up through the storm, stand through the rain,
Through the hurt, yes, through the pain,
Don't you bow, and don't bend, don't give up, no, don't give in.
Hold on, just be strong, God will step in and it won't be long.
After you've gone through the storm, after you gone through the rain,
After you done all you can.....you just stand.

Take a Deep Breath, Chill and Relax....God Has Got This!

Day before yesterday, I had the privilege of waiting with a dear friend as her husband was in back surgery by the same Neuro Surgeon and in the same hospital, that my sweetheart was in four years ago. I had a flood of memories as we set there, and I reminisced to my friend about this one. I think it bears repeating to encourage us all to “chill and relax” during times of overwhelming concern and worry.

We found out my husband had to have another emergency surgery to, once again, remove the tumor that had returned on his vertebrae and was impinging on his spinal cord. It was then that I grabbed Karen's hand (Ron's sister) and said "Let's go for a walk!" (You know, like Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho.) As we did, we prayed for God to station His angels around the hospital, for God's healing touch to Ron, and for wisdom and knowledge to our medical team. As we made our 6th round, we noticed lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds was a Mama cat and her baby. They watched us intently, and unlike wild cats, they never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "Just like these cats….. RELAX – be in peace -- I am with you! Enjoy the journey." We made our final, and 7th round, and just as we had not seen the cats in rounds one to five, they were gone on the 7th, but those words resonated within us. We came back to the hospital room and Ron, our daughter, and her husband were singing and praising God for the answer we knew He would give us the next morning. We went to sleep that night….completely at peace….knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day. And, He most certainly did.

What is weighing heavy on your heart today? What troubles loom above you like dark clouds? If it’s possible, go for a little walk and have a talk with He Who knows everything about everything – give the cares to Him. He knows what tomorrow holds, so why not allow Him to orchestrate the details? In the meantime, take a deep breath, chill, and RELAX…..God has got this!