I want to start out today with the words, Thank You.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for loving on our family this past week. Joe and Abby have received so much support in prayer and words of encouragement from so many of you! Family, friends, and strangers as well. This outpouring of love brings tears to this mother's eyes and I cannot thank you enough. There were a few negative points of view here and there and that, my friends, is what the word "delete" is all about. We are not entertaining any negativity here! Our entire family felt each and every prayer and we are so grateful for all of you. Keep praying! I believe with all my heart this little one’s heart issue is going to go away in some way or another. I pray that boldly and confidently. Whatever the answer to that prayer is, I know God will see us through. Especially with the army of prayer warriors we have in all of you.
I've been saying I am going to share highlights from the She Recovers conference I went to a few weeks ago. As I read through some notes, I came across something I had written down in the margin. My own thought, no one else’s: “My greatest joy right now is being in the present.”
I was hearing a lot about healing, using your hurt, and being in the present. That any day is better than being in the pit. Sure, at the conference it was easy to say, “I wouldn't want to be anywhere else today!” Then you come home and life hits you. Hard. And you start the climb up the mountain again.
I think of it this way though: I never have go all the way down to the bottom to start the climb. To the pit where I look up and the climb is so far that it looks impossible. No, I need to start where I am in the moment.
When I came home and all of this baby news hit our family, I was still halfway up the mountain. Thank God I didn't have to start at the bottom, which for me would have been sitting Indian Style with a bottle of Moscato between my legs. Is this making sense? Are you picking up what I'm putting down? (Thank you, Ivory & Val, for teaching me that one.)
Olivia sent me this picture from Africa where she climbed Lion's Head. It was very challenging for a beginner climber, but she did it. She told me to look it up and when I did, I looked at it quickly and was like NOPE! This mom does not want to see that; it scared the crap out of me!
The thing about this picture is she is can see the top, but the last part of the climb is tough! She had come this far so there was no way she was turning back, right?
Here I am, once again, in the midst of climbing back up and digging my feet in to find a firm foothold in this situation. When my brain is screaming, “Why God?” I look up and climb. When fear grips my heart, I climb. When fear tries to hijack my every thought, I climb. Thankfully, I do not have to start at the bottom to climb. I never want to be that low again.
Starting at the bottom is not an option. Today I trust God in everything and I'm so grateful for that. The recovery process has been aligning me with God's plans and, believe me, it looks nothing like I thought it would! He has a much greater purpose waiting for you as well.
I just finished a book study with a very special group of women. This is an excerpt from the book by John Baker, Life’s Healing Choices. This paragraph is taken from someone's testimony and resonates in me every day:
“God has seen me through some dark times, and he has restored me. All I had to do was surrender. Give it up and be willing to be willing. Let go and let God. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart. I look back through my life and see that through all of my life I have been surrounded by faith, hope, and love. There were times that I did not recognize it, or worse took it for granted. My family has shown me faith through our unity. Our hope is that we will all find the pathway to peace.”
That, my friend, is part of the mountain. Recognizing that the gifts of faith, hope, and love were there for my taking all along. I just had to reach out and grab that next handle that would bring me a little further up.
What is your mountain? Are you starting at the bottom? Try drawing your mountain and keep track of your climb. Draw a big mountain though! I've had to add stuff to my mountain I never planned on.
I thought if I quit drinking that was it, top of the mountain: here I am! I could not have been more wrong. As unattractive (not to mention awkward) as that harness that fits like a diaper is, I really should leave it on all the time. That way, I can recover quickly whenever I fall down a little ways, clip on and keep climbing.
Just picture running into me at the grocery store with that on, if you need a good laugh! The best thing to do is get right back up and climb some more. Find a secure foothold and a handle within reach and go. The foothold is the firm foundation God has given you and the handle is God's hand. Go ahead and grab hold of it. If you're willing to keep climbing, he will empower you to go higher than you ever imagined.
Peace on your weekend and Happy Memorial Day!
Sherry