Mountains

     Sometimes the Lord removes figurative mountains that impede our way and sometimes the mountain is a gift.  Our struggle against the mountain becomes our source of growth.  Without the mountain we would remain in our weakened natural- man state with insufficient and flabby spiritual muscles.  Oh, how we despair at the thought of the mountain!  Oh, how we resist taking the steps upward!  But the mountain draws us to the Lord, eventually, as we find our own abilities to summit its peak are paltry and weak.  Finally, we call upon the Lord sufficiently to receive his grace and power unto ourselves.  At times we struggle for what seems a never ending length of time and then the Lord says “It is enough,” and He removes the insurmountable mountain in an instant.  The struggle is over much to our amazement.  The pathway has been cleared and we move forward.
     I've tangled with a few rather large mountains the past few years.  Actually, it seems that life for everyone is really is a series of mountains, at times one right after another and other times interspersed with gentler slopes. I always stand with amazement when a mountain has been removed.  I am overcome with relief.  I am so thankful that it is finished - yet I am unspeakably grateful for what I have learned and gained.  I wouldn't ask for it back but neither would I choose to do without the package deal.