Showing posts with label Mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mountains. Show all posts
As a little girl, people always asked me what I wanted to
be when I grew up. While I considered
being a veterinarian, lawyer, or nurse, I always wanted to be a teacher. And I especially wanted to be a writer,
singer, and musician. Now that I am
older, there is one additional occupation that I’ve determined to strive toward. I want to be a mountain mover!!!
Now, before you start jumping to conclusions, please allow
me to explain. I don’t really picture
myself sitting atop a gigantic piece of machinery, maneuvering dirt, rocks, and
gravel from one place to another. And I
realize that no matter how hard I try, I cannot physically pick up a
mountain. Nor can I bring a mountain
home from North Carolina, Switzerland, or any other gorgeous mountainous region
that I have had the opportunity to explore.
A mountain is just a little too large to set in the back of my SUV and
drive home to Florida. Even though I
would absolutely LOVE to have a mountain in my backyard! I am not even talking about a literal
mountain that may be standing in my way.
I’m talking about those mountains that I encounter every day.
In life, there are many mountains that we must climb
over, dig through, or go around. They do
not have trees, streams, and waterfalls covering them. Instead, they have sicknesses, financial
crises, and other difficult situations that arise to create obstacles for us to
traverse. But even in the face of
adversity, when the sun is going down, our alternate light source is burned
out, and we still haven’t even made it to the top of the mountain yet, God is
right ahead of us. He is walking each
step ahead of us to ensure that no danger ensnares us. He will always be our guide, over mountains
and through valleys. And sometimes, we
can just tell the mountains to move!
You may be wondering, “How could I tell
a mountain to move?” It’s very simple. Matthew 17:20 (NIV) says, “‘I tell you the
truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’” God’s Word is telling us that we can do
anything! Nothing is impossible for us,
if – yes, it’s that little word “if” that seems quite big at times – if, we have faith. Now, the good news is that God can take a
little bit of faith and make it go a long way.
The scripture says we need “faith as small
as a mustard seed.” Did you know that
the average mustard seed weighs only 0.002 grams? That translates to 2 milligrams or 0.000070548
ounces! By comparison, a U.S. dollar
bill weighs 1 whole gram. One single plain
M&M candy weighs 2.2 grams. But in
order to move a mountain, we only need faith the size of a mustard seed! Think about it. God doesn’t require us to have the faith of a
giant in order to move mountains. We
only need a small amount of faith to move seemingly insurmountable objects!
Recently, I wrote a song titled, “Pray and
Believe.” I pray that God will use the
lyrics from the chorus will minister to you in a special way.
Pray and Believe
Words and Music by Jennifer Campbell/BMI
Chorus
Anything is possible,
When you pray and believe.
God still works miracles,
If you have faith to receive.
Don’t give up on broken dreams,
There’s still dreams left to dream.
For anything is possible,
When you pray and believe.
Whatever you may be facing in life, remember
this one thing: God wants you to be a mountain mover! Nothing shall be impossible for you if you
have faith to receive the miracle that God has in store for you! I know firsthand that many things in life are
difficult to handle. There will be times
when you feel like giving up. I want to
encourage you today. God will never give
you more than you can bear. God is
greater than anything that may come against us – divorce, war, cancer, anything! Have faith.
Pray. Believe. God will work a miracle in your life. With a mustard seed of faith, you can move
mountains!
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer
Several weeks ago, I was
huddled under the awning on our deck in the Great Smoky Mountains. The rain was falling rapidly from the clouds,
the thunder echoed through the mountains, and the lightening flashed brightly
in the evening sky. Directly across from
our deck, there is a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream. Cascading down into the stream is a gorgeous
waterfall. Even in the midst of a fierce
and somewhat frightening mountain thunderstorm, the beauty surrounding the area
remains truly indescribable.
In life, there are many types
of mountain-sized storms. There are the
physical ones that we can see and hear.
In these storms, we can readily seek shelter from the rain and wind. Through the wisdom God has imparted to the
men and women manning the weather stations, we often receive advance warning
that a severe storm is approaching our area, giving us time to adequately
prepare, which improves our safety in the midst of the storm. Other times, we are not so fortunate. Sometimes, there is not enough warning.
A close family friend once
shared her experience as she and her family lived to tell the tale of the
nightmarish storm named Hurricane Andrew that swept through Miami,
Florida. She told us how she and her
family huddled in the bathtub, praying and hoping they would all survive the
howling winds, the torrential rain, and the endless debris. As their roof and the walls of their home
were stripped away from the foundation, they wondered if they would survive. As the storm moved on, it only left one thing
behind: the bathtub. Though everything
they owned was either destroyed or blown away, they were alive. Their family had been spared. God had granted them safety in the storm.
Sometimes, even the knowledge
that a storm is in the area cannot prepare us for the devastation that lies
ahead. A hurricane can be too fierce, a
tornado can come upon us too suddenly, a tsunami can overtake us before we have
time to evacuate… Much like these
physical storms, there are also emotional and mental storms that we must
endure. And much like the aforementioned
physical storms, there is not always adequate warning with regard to when and
where these storms will strike.
At the age of sixteen years
old, I went into my closet to change clothes.
My dad and I were preparing to go see my mom who was in the
hospital. I felt a piercing pain in my
side. Within a few short hours, I was
lying on an operating table, having been diagnosed with a perforated colon and
peritonitis. If the doctors had not
operated immediately and if my parents had not prayed for my healing, I might
not have lived through the night.
My parents were very
concerned and prayed diligently that the Lord would spare my life. I remember my words to them as I was about to
be rolled into the operating room. I
told them that I loved them and that God would make sure everything was
alright. Even in the midst of this storm,
I had assurance that God would make it right.
I knew that His promise in Romans 8:28 was true.
All
things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to
His purpose. Romans 8:28
As I sit here today, fourteen
years later, I can still tell you with calm assurance that everything will be
okay. Since that time, I have weathered
many more storms, some of which have been much more ferocious. The night my mom had a heart attack was one
of the most violent storms I have ever faced.
Each time I walk in our living room in our camper in the mountains, I am
reminded of the horrors of that night.
For several years, I have questioned why God would take her at such a
young age, and why He would allow it to happen there, at our beautiful place in
the mountains. How could something so
tragic occur in such a magnificent and peaceful setting?
While I do not have all of
the answers, I have come to realize that these questions are not
important. Instead, I am beginning to
realize that instead of avoiding this place I used to love, I need to embrace
it. Rather than dwelling on one single
night, I need to focus on the fifteen years that we have spent in the midst of
these majestic mountain landscapes. I
need to be grateful for the memories that we have made there and enjoy making
new memories each and every day that God allows us to be in the midst of His
awe-inspiring Creation.
Why? Because even through my uncertainty, even
through the storm that swept through my life nearly four years ago, and even
through my emotional ups and downs relating to this place I find both peaceful
and unsettling, God knows me and loves me without fail. In every moment I feel ill at ease there, He
loves me. In every moment that I
question Him, He loves me. In every
moment I just need to feel loved, He loves me.
Friend, I want to encourage
you and remind you that God loves you, too, with an absolute love that has no
end. God will take everything that has
happened in your life and use it for your good.
You may not understand it yet.
Perhaps you are still spinning around in a tornado of emotions, or maybe
you are inundated by a flood of sorrowful tears. No matter what storm you are facing, God is
standing with you. He will ensure that
you make it safely to the sunshine once more, where you will be able to enjoy
the beauty surrounding you. Though the
thunder may roll, the lightening may flash, and the rain may fall, God will be
your Shelter from the storm.
In Christ's Love,
Jennifer