The other day over a bowl of breakfast, Scott said:

‘Imagine you get a wedgie when you’re climbing Mount Everest! ‘Cause you’ll be like, Ah no! How can this be happening to me! ‘Cause you’re wearing layers and layers of clothes so how would you even pull it out?’

A discussion ensued, of the ins and outs (literally) of Gore-Tex and other thermal wear, and whether warm things are sold at the Mount Everest Gift Shop for under-prepared climbers.

It made me think how we all find ourselves somewhere between disaster and discomfort on the steep sliding scale of this weird year, and it made me think of something profound a friend said to me recently:

Don’t ask:

‘Why is this happening *TO* me?’

(Which paralyzes us in self-pity.)

Rather, ask:

‘Why is this happening *FOR* me?’

(Which galvanizes us for growth.)

Right?!

Change that one word and suddenly it’s like the snow is beautiful not blinding because you’ve been given brand new sunglasses to see the summit.

Change that one word and suddenly you remember we serve the God who causes All The Things to work together FOR the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, and if that same God is FOR us, who can be against us?

Our God is the God of every preposition because He’s FOR us and He’s WITH us.

He goes AHEAD of us, and He hems us in from BEHIND, and UNDERNEATH us are the everlasting arms.

He’s the treasure IN us, cracked and fragile jars of clay that we are.

He sings OVER us, and He kindly keeps pace NEXT TO us because He knows just how (un)fit we are for the climb.

And He does all this because,

‘…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:38-39)

Ours is the God who leads us to stand victorious and wedgie-free ON TOP of the Everests of life, remembering, as Najwa Zebian says, ‘These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.’

Here’s to another week of one foot in front of the other, no matter how steep or slippery, narrow or non-negotiable, the going gets.

. . .

Feel free to share this post with your people.

Amazon let me know that my recently-released novel, Breathe Between the Lines, has been entered into the UK Storyteller 2020 competition!

So friends, this is me shamelessly begging you to RATE or REVIEW it – or GIFT it to someone’s eReader! – because it would seem this is one of the boxes the judges want ticked.

–> Find Breathe Between the Lines RIGHT HERE on Amazon!<–

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