Mountains Out of Molehills

[Guest]

9 hours ago, wenglund said:

One of the dysfunctional quirks of human nature is that we tend to make mountains out of negative molehills rather than positive molehills.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Interesting you should say that.  I just had an epiphany over the weekend.  I think it's about learning to depend on the Lord for strength beyond my own.

Much of my life I've been able to succeed because I've been blessed with many talents and abilities.  Frankly, much of my life (from an "accomplishment" perspective) was actually quite easy.  Lately, I've just been having failure after failure.  And it's been very frustrating to the point of...  well, you get the idea.

A friend of mine came to me to pay me a compliment on something I'd done.  He said I did a good job there.  I brushed it off thinking,"You thought that was good?!? Hah.  I just barely shoved something through and hoped things didn't fall apart."  Several people actually gave me some compliments that I likewise shrugged off.  Why on earth did they think that I accomplished something?

But when I sat trying to find the silver lining, their words came back to me.  It occurred to me that I'd actually accomplished some things.  They weren't perfect.  But they were complete.  They weren't easy.  But I got it done.  I wish I had more people who did their part.  But there were people who did their part.  I wish I didn't have to make 11th hour changes because "things" kept coming up.  But I made those changes and the job got done. 

This isn't what I'm used to.  I can usually see things coming and make plans and contingencies.  But I just kept getting blindsided. And none of the finished product was what I'd find acceptable.  But others did?

The Spirit testified to me,"You've had it easy.  You've been blessed with many talents and abilities for a reason.  You'll need all the help you can get.  This is the real world.  You're a big boy now.  You're going to have to work at it from here on out.  Don't expect things to be easy as they have hitherto been.  You've been miraculously preserved on several occasions. Things need to be done.  And you're the one who's going to have to do it."

I wondered at that.  I thought that as an adult I'd already had many responsibilities.  I've served in many callings and done my part (I thought) fairly well.  I've been successful in business.  But that was all preparatory.  'Easy as they have hitherto been?"  I've suffered from depression, abuse, and many other issues as well as some major trials.  That was easy?  Apparently so.  They were all molehills.  And apparently positive ones made to build me up and strengthen me.  Positive?  I'm just beginning to understand that, yes, they were positive.

I'm heading into something else in my life.  And instead of getting easier and ready for retirement, apparently something else is going on.  I just need to learn to lean on the Lord a lot more than I depend on my own strength, before these things destroy me.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Guest