Moving our Mountains...

We all have mountains in our lives that are constantly taunting and disappointing us on a daily basis.  Do you ever wish you could just say get out of my way?  Do you ever wish you could look at it from above, hoping it looks smaller?  When looking out of an airplane window, do you ever look down over the earth and see mountains and think how small they look from this high up?  Almost as if you could just walk across them... As if there were no valleys or mountains..  I imagine this is the view God has and that he wants us to see.

"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of The Lord will be revealed..." Isaiah 40:4-5

"Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low..." Luke 3:5

A time where mountains fall into the earth and valleys raise up, bringing our own mountains crashing down and we are living on a path where valleys are no more!  Our pain, obstacles, struggles....mountains are below our feet.  Our heartache, frustration...valleys are no longer a step down, but a step over and across.  This is God's hope and future for us now and forever.  When we see our lives from the seat in an airplane, are we able to see what God intended our mountains and valleys to look like or are we standing at the bottom looking up at it?

God has been directly speaking to Jon and I about our mountains and valleys, although at the time I had no idea this Word was going to come from it, I know now how he intricately works in our hearts to not only minister to us but others.  

Let me tell the mountains and valleys our family seems to be standing at the bottom of...

1. Our adoption...of course... We know...only because we have spent many days and nights in prayer and communication with God about.... That this is Gods plan, but we are facing major funding mountains.  We have only raised $1000 in a 4 month time frame.  As I mentioned before, we tried other fundraisers, but with no avail.  Where did this leave us?  At the feet of Jesus and in our mindset..in a deep valley at the bottom of a mountain.  

2. My health.  Some know that I have been undergoing a number of tests to determine the root of my debilitating stomach pains.  I went gluten free for about two months and have felt about 90% better.  I just recently had another blood test checking for celiacs disease ...still no results.  This has upended my world...and our grocery bill!  I felt I was getting my health back on track and this occurs.  I felt as though I was thrown into a valley and digging my way out.  Most days I feel 100% better, which is a huge change, but the not knowing is highly frustrating. 

3. Nicks diagnosis.  This has been an ongoing mountain for us.  Why a diagnosis?  Well, we need help for Nick!  I know he is not outside the scope of God, but sometimes I feel he is outside the scope of me.  Climbing the continuously growing mountain of doctors, specialists, and paperwork, has left me slipping down this mountain grasping at anything that will get my child and us through each day without a huge meltdown.

4. This next one is so very personal and will probably make others mad, upset, or uneasy, but it is a mountain... There are some tensions with my side of the family that breaks my heart on a daily basis.  The idea of unforgiveness is so frustrating to me and I just want my family to love each other, faults and all.  We are far from perfect and sometimes Satan snags our heart and life for a moment and we lose Gods vision for us, but He always loves and draws us into his arms..if we let him.  I feel as though this unrest has us sitting in a valley and we are thrashing around in quicksand and can't get out because we won't reach our hand to the other for help and forgiveness.  I love my family dearly and want desperately for reconciliation.

As I lay these out there...my heart beats rapidly at opening up so deeply to others, but Gods intentions  for this was not for me....

"Because you have so little faith. 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." Matthew 17:20

I may only have faith of a mustard seed, but it's continuously growing. Jesus said, "faith of a mustard seed...tell that mountain to move".  I plan to tell each one of my mountains to move and let him raise me out of the valleys I am in.

I don't know about you, but I want the view God sees to be the view I see.  The view from the window of an airplane.  Each mountain crashing into the earth before me and the valleys raising to my feet, so I may clearly see the face of God in front of me.  Although these mountains still stand before me, I write this now in hopes for accountability to keep praying for us as we stand in God's promise to move these mountains to bring us closer to our new baby, a specific reasoning for my health, a diagnosis and help for my Nick, and reconciliation in my family.  Please stop and ask...it's a reminder that God is for us and we have others praying with us.