Coming down the mountain.

Hey All.

Story time.

I made it. I so totally, and completely made it. I walked, I crawled, I ran, I jumped, I flew and I climbed...I cried, I rejoiced, I thanked, I prayed, I listened, I humbled myself, I served, and I encouraged and I totally and completely made it to the top of the mountain, right? And I’m standing there with my hands on my waist looking out across it all. Proud as can be I say to God, “Look God, I did it. I did it. Did you see me? No joke, I did it. Man, I am good. Wow, aren’t you impressed? I tell you what, I am so good. Look at that. I made it. Man, it feels good to be up here. Glad that's over... so now what, God? What do we do now?"

And do you know what He said to me? He Said, "We go back down and we get more people."

What? The nerve. He tells me that after all of that, after all my work, He's sending me back down the mountain. No way am I going to head back down to the valley so I looked at God and I asked, "hey, okay, so you're kicking me off the mountain for now but could you maybe just send me down to that plateau right over there instead? Don’t make me go down to the valley again; I hate it down there. I mean they can hear me just fine if I yell down to them. I can just tell them how to get up the mountain. You know left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot ha ha, right God?..... God?"

Then God looked at me and He said, "Kaylee, I need you right down there in the valley. You can't just tell them how to get up the mountain you have to first bring them the tools necessary to climb it and then you, yourself, must show them how to do it just as you were shown. The mountain gets harder and harder to climb. At first, your example, (yes the left foot right foot) they can follow that and it will work, and they will get the hang of it, but as they get closer to the peak you’re example alone won’t work anymore. It's going to be every man for himself so they're going to have to study my example in order to reach the highest point…so be the example to get them started, but bring them the tools to reach the top!"

I was reading Obadiah the other day and ran across this verse: "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, and you who say to yourself, 'who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like an eagle, and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord." Obadiah 3-4

I believe there could be numerous reasons why we would have to go down the mountain but two definitely stick out to me; humbleness and service. When I was little I used to play this game called Sticky Situations. You started out at humble beginning, and then ended up at the exalted end.

While playing the game you could land on red bricks, which placed you back on the board, the red bricks were labeled titles such as pride slide and lie detector. There were true riches bricks you could land on which were gifts you could receive from God and then there were sticky situation bricks. When landing on these bricks you were faced with a decision and based on that decision one would move forwards or backwards.

I believe life is a continuous playing of this game. Did you see how when I got to the top of the mountain I took all the credit? In a way, I considered myself equal with God. I stood there acting as if I didn't need Him anymore. I praised myself and my work. I no longer thought I needed God. My own pride deceived me.

There are times when I feel like I have got it all together and I feel like I’m soaring in life, only to realize I’m taking a quick plummeting nose dive to the ground. Now it's hard for me to say exactly, because the feelings of worthlessness and loneliness are from Satan but somehow God even seems to insinuate that He'll bring us down from the mountain. Maybe it's just that God wants us to call on Him for our everything – to truly see Him as our Savior and source of strength.

We must often times start at the humble beginning and humble ourselves; realizing we are nothing without Him. Once we are down there and call on Him, He fills us up with true riches and prepares us to climb the mountain again. Then throughout the climb He will give us choices that when we make them will either put us forward in the game or will send us back to grow some more.

I want to point out here that in being sent back is not a reflection of your heart and who you are. There are numerous times God has sent me down and He continues to send me down. I have to remember that nothing grows on the mountain tops. It is in the valley where the wilderness flourishes and life exists in abundance. It is in being “sent down” to the valley that I know my Savior continues to work on me and mold me into something a bit more like Him.

Besides, this “game” of life we’re in is not about winning; it is in living in Him that we have life.

Sometimes He sends us down the mountain to be humbled, but know that the humbled are sent down too. He needs us down there among each other being His example to others who don't know how to climb the mountain. I figure He stands knocking on hearts’ doors and we are the ones to show others how to open the door.

Eventually we will once again make it to the exalted end, but I’m encouraging you to continue to open your heart and humble yourself before Christ and to ask Him to send you down the mountain. Ask to be that example. Trust me, it makes life more exciting!

Cheering you on as you find yourself at times on the mountain and at times in the valley.

May you rejoice in exactly where you are at on the mountain knowing and trusting that God works for good, meets us where we are at, and uses us where we are at…all for His good.

Kaylee