Is It A Mountain Or A Mole Hill?

Just what is a mountain about anyway? Ever make a mountain out of a mole hill? The climb seem extra tough today? I have seen that mountain and in fear ran the other way. There are times I'd rather duck and hide than face the mountain before me. See those self clouds of doubt up there high above the mountain? Sure, you know them. They are saying, "You can't do it!" Mountains come in all shapes and sizes. But when we face the side of mountain and look up, don't they all seem out of reach? It's frightening to think about climbing, isn't it?

"And the Lord said, 'If you have faith as a mustard see, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea', and it would obey you'." Luke 17:6

"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you'." Matthew 17:20

Faith is seeing beyond the mountain to the other side. Faith is believing that the mountain before you can in no way hinder your path. Faith is seeing the mountain as an opportunity to reach higher, beyond our own strength.

Today was an "aha" moment for me. Don't you love those moments? The moment when something becomes crystal clear. I was thinking of all the mountains I have climbed. Mountains I thought would be the end of me. Oh, they seemed so big at the time. As I faced them I stood shaking in fear. Unbelief of this girl who lives out her faith. Well that is until she faces a mountain. So, I began thinking about seeds. Yep, small seeds. Those seeds like the mustard seed. So small you barely see them. There's power in a seed!

Just what do we do with a seed? If you plow up a garden each summer you know well what to do with seeds. You plant them. Now, you can just walk out to the field and drop your seed. If only it were that easy. First you need some good manure. Ewe, but yes, that fertilizer will make your garden of seeds grow. With that said, ever feel like your walking in poo? Stuck in the muck and mire? It's funny just what a little smelly fertilizer can do for growth. Take a few trips trekking your way through muck and mire and you find a strength you didn't know you had.

So you have your fertilizer brought in and now it's time to plow. You get all that old dirt up and mix it around. This is tough work. Last summer I used our tiller. First time ever with the tiller for me. I must tell you, it made it much easier, but there was still sweat. Ever feel like your being mixed around? Maybe you don't even know which way is up at times. This is bringing in the air and making room for growth. It helps being married to a farmer.

Now it's time to make your rows. I can remember the first year I thought I would surprise my husband with a garden. LOL I did this while he was out of town. Thought it would be a great gift to him. I worked my tail off planting, but I made a huge mistake. I didn't make straight rows. All that rain that would come couldn't drain off properly, do with my "pretty" garden, everything was going to be saturated until it drowned. I think we can all relate to this. I have felt like the rains would not end. I'm not sure if there is a worse feeling than feeling like your drowning and there is nothing in the world you can do about it. The rains just keep coming. You feel like your in over your head. But friends, with rain comes sunshine. Rain brings growth. In fact, you can't plant a seed and hope it grows if there isn't a water supply.

Your rows are plowed and now it's time to dig a little hole and put in the seed. This is probably my favorite part. I get down on my hands and knees and place each seed a few inches apart. As I place the seed in the hole I now cover it up. Where each tiny seed is planted is now looking like a mound. At least to me, it looks like a mound, but to that tiny seed, that is one huge mountain to burst through. That tiny seed must begin to grow and as it does it will raise a little higher until it begins peeking through the mound that has covered it. That's quite a strong seed, don't you think? Yep, there is power in the seed.

That tiny seed springs forth, erupting out of the mound of dirt. At first you see a tiny shoot rising above, reaching for the sun. That shoot soon has leaves and over time will blossom and before we know it there before our eyes are the first vegetables of the season. That little seed was nurtured. It was watered and fed. It was given everything it needed to become a harvest.

Friends, what I am trying to say is, don't fear the mountain. In the verses I have shared Jesus says that if we have the faith of a mustard seed we can move a mountain. Once I really began thinking of that I asked myself, "Is Jesus really speaking of a mountain the size of Everest or a mountain? Could it just be my mountain I'm crossing at the time? Just a little faith, faith the size of a mustard seed, can get me over and across that mountain! That changes things doesn't it? It does for me.

The Lord knows what it's going to take for us to grow into the women of God He has called us to be. His recipe for growth is perfect. You can't mess with perfection. You can't change His recipe. No one else does it like He does. No matter how much we try or how much better we think we can do it. Nope, it's best to get out of the way and give Him the room He needs.

I think of the seed buried under that mound of dirt and all it must do to peek it's head through. That seed doesn't stop there. He keeps going and growing, never giving up. In not giving up something spectacular happens. That mound isn't a challenge any longer. He broke free and come to find out, it was that mound that helped him grow tall and strong.

I'm trying to not focus on how big the mountain appears to be. In doing so I'm going to miss out on something beautiful right before my eyes. I too don't want to be so focused on the mountain that I limit God. Isn't that exactly what we do in our fear and unbelief? There is no mountain too big for God!

I'm finding I need to change my perspective in how I view the mountains I face. Friends, there will always be a mountain. We are either facing one now or we will face one soon. The best thing is, we don't have to face them alone. We don't have to face them in fear and trepidation. I need to stand before each mountain and trust the Lord with every ounce of my mustard seed faith. He will get me over that mountain and He will sustain me as I am growing my way through.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13