Hold On!

Hold on ~ photo credit:  Jake Schnake

When the mountains are in front of you, don't let go, don't give up, don't despair, keep going; even if you feel like you're going at a turtle's pace, determine that you won't stop - tell yourself, "At least I'm still going forward!"  

A friend encouraged me years ago with, "If there's still a pulse, you still have a purpose."

The decision to go through major surgery came just after we moved twenty-seven years worth of business collateral out of our leased suite, which occurred just after we sold our family business, which occurred just after we returned from our son's amazing wedding, which occurred just after my rock-of-the-family mother-in-law "graduated" to be with Jesus, which happened just after my close friend's husband also "graduated."  

The recovery time was a season to really reflect tremendously; to revisit places in my soul with the Lord that I had skimmed over during my fly-time as a business co-owner all those years.  I re-invested my heart in the fearsome dream of committing my thoughts onto the typed and written page.  Oh, how my patient husband has encouraged this activity through the years, never losing confidence in me and he would never let me let go!  (I'm sure God has a special crown awaiting him.)  He is my belay partner.  (OK, I have to be transparent before my son and daughter-in-law bust me for pretending to know what I'm talking about!)

I can now empathize, to a small degree, with what my husband's Mom went through in the long nights of waking up and trying not to disturb your spouse's sleep.  Lying there, asking God for the strength and grace to hold on.  She climbed to the very top of the very last mountain that her earthly destiny called her to.  God gave her "hinds feet to walk upon her high places."  
      
"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make      me to walk upon mine high places."  Habakkuk 3:19

I echoed her favorite encouragement verse over and over again, "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

I'm now praying with my sister and the rest of my family as my bold-hearted brother-in-law fights through the mountains and valleys of cancer in his body.  He is a determined man of faith who is holding on to his Father God's hand and climbing with sure-footed hope of God's best plan being accomplished.  Please join us in prayer for his health and strength.

Waiting in hope.  That is really a place where the fire in our impatient souls is stoked.  It can feel like you are hanging onto the sheer side of a mountain without a rope.  (By now you know that I have never done this in the natural realm - you guys are figuring me out, yes.) 
Nevertheless, it is just as real emotionally and spiritually.  In that place, the Holy Spirit, our ever-present Teacher, is weaving the substance of faith even stronger inside our hearts and He is perfectly recalibrating our spiritual vision and saying, "Open your eyes now that you have climbed higher, a little closer to your Father's perspective."  He seems to massage His amazing grace into our weary hearts like oil until we have assurance that we can continue to wait for God's good outcome. 

Be determined to hold on until you have the assurance that you will see His best be accomplished for you, His purposes manifested.  Hold on and be convinced that God has been doing something good for your benefit, and He has been working, even if in secret, all along the way up your mountain.

After months of being at home, missing my church family, but abundantly blessed by the nurturing care of my natural family, we finally climbed up the Blue Ridge to Harvest House Church in Boone.  That first day back, I was blessed as a few wonderful "sisters in the Lord" performed a powerful choreography with banners and signed the words to the following song just for me.  The climb up my mountains is training my hands for the battles and training my hinds feet to hold with hope in the ascents.  

(From:  Bethel Music / It Is Well lyrics)
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can't see

And this mountain that's in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea

-  Chorus
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name...It is well it is well with my soul