Encouragement

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Climbing Up The Mountain

My husband, Michael and I took his Mother for a short getaway this weekend. We drove up to Arkansas to the Ouachita (pronounced Wachitaw) mountains. We stayed at the Queen Wilhelmena Lodge on the very top of the mountain and it was just beautiful. We don’t have any mountains here in Texas, just flat land and few rolling hills down south. So, the scenery soaked up my eyes as well as my soul and gave me a wonderment of God’s majesty all over again.

While reading the historical data of the lodge, I was amazed. It was named after a beautiful queen from Holland who settled there and provided the finances to build the lodge back in the early 1900’s. To think that people traveled that mountain in covered wagons with little more than the shirts on their back is truly amazing. Some parts of it are very steep and scary even in an automobile on nicely paved roads! The data told of one story of a family with seven children that went up the mountain to help with the construction of the lodge with 50 cents and a sack of flour. It got me to thinking about how blessed and totally spoiled we are. These people must have dealt with black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, snakes, and no telling what all. But they made it. Now there is a beautiful tribute to all their hard work for people to enjoy. God was with them - He had to be.

I was so in awe of the spectacular view from atop the mountains. I felt so close to the heavens, like I could almost reach out and touch the very hand of God. I thought about that family and all the others that made it up the mountain so long ago. How they must have celebrated and praised the Lord when they finally reached the top!

We all climb mountains in our lives. It takes a lot of hard work, determination and most of all; a total reliance on Jesus to reach the top of our mountains. Only He can get us to our final mountaintop. Until that day, we must fully depend on Him and His awesome grace and provision. There is no other Way.

If you are climbing a mountain today
Take heed, don’t climb it alone
Call out the name of Jesus, my friend
His blessings will surely be shown

In His majesty are the riches of glory
His grace will take you to the top
For His mercy endureth forever, beloved
So don’t you dare even try to stop!

Keep on climbing your mountains, beloved
But don’t forget to follow the trail
Of the One who promises to never leave us
The One whose love t’will never fail

One day we will reach our final mountaintop
Precious Jesus will hold out His hand
I can almost imagine the grandeur up there
In that bright and heavenly land!

Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

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