Higher Ground
It is SO easy to keep our eyes down and focused on our trials and tribulations.
Somedays, I swear the devil somehow hops up on my shoulders, and I can feel his slimy, tiny-man hands pushing my head down to stay focused on myself and my problems as he whispers nothing but fear-filled lies in my ears.
You should see the parkour moves that I have to do to get that little jerkface off of me. It's pretty impressive.
There are days when I feel like I am in constant motion, keeping that red-lycra-wearing loser away from me.
I have to force myself to look up because that is where the peace of God beckons.
When I am weary from all the flailing about, I call out to God, and He pulls me up into His arms of love and protection.
Peace is found on higher ground.
From there, I can hear what God says about all of this.
From there, I can feel God's strength and security.
From there, I can see the lessons learned on the journey so far and know that this, too, shall pass, and I will persevere.
From there, I can see the bigger picture and focus on things other than myself.
We must choose to follow when God leads us to the higher ground.
We must shake off the piggybacker and raise our heads and climb up.
It sounds easy enough, but the ground of despair is filled with tangled roots and mucky mud that ain’t easy to get out of.
We have to fight our way up to higher ground to get to God.
God's ways are higher, and He sees things from a different perspective.
It feels much safer and lighter up here without that piggybacker weighing us down.
So if you, too, feel the weight of the world tangling your thoughts and holding your head down, look up.
Look up, cry out to God, and let Him pull you into His arms.
Sit on His lap, and God will show you His view.
It's pretty stunning from up here.
God is with us always and forever.
Psalm 61: 1-2
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Isaiah 55:9
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalm 108: 4-5
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.