A Blessing Disguised As A Mountain
by Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell
When you’re faced with an extremely difficult situation, what is your immediate and automatic response? Some people immediately panic, some prepare for war, and others calmly assess the situation and develop a plan to handle the situation. Whatever your response, that thing staring you in the face is a mountain.
Mountains are seen in different ways. We can be guilty of increasing the severity of our situations and the size of our mountains just by the way we look at them. They can be seen as obstructions too large, too heavy, too complex to overcome; as road blocks too big to go around, to massive to get around, or giant stumbling blocks. Sometimes, when others are facing mountains, we try to encourage them and reduce their stress levels by using phrases like “You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.”
If we adjust our perspective, we can literally see a mountain as a mole hill. Jesus spoke about our God-given ability to remove the mountains from our lives with the faith of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20).
Our perspective on mountains depends on what’s going and where we are in this journey we call life. If we’re experiencing lots of difficult times, challenging circumstances and/or threatening situations, mountains may very well seem insurmountable. However, if we’ve just received good news or were victorious over another challenge, mountains look like opportunities in work clothes. Mountains can be obstacles or they can be blessings. It all depends on how you see it.
Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land, returned with a good report – “the land can be taken!” As a reward, he was given the mountain that he spied as his inheritance. Joshua 14:12 tells Caleb’s response to his gift; “Now give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said” (NKJV). Caleb was excited about his inheritance. The Lord equipped Caleb to drive out his enemies; “but the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said” (14:14). Caleb had a great blessing that came disguised as a mountain.
God often gives us great blessings disguised as mountains. It is a mountain, but it has all the blessing we can ever desire or need. There are diamonds, gold, platinum and silver in mountains. But you’ve got to work to get them out. Receive your mountain as a gift. Everything on the mountain belongs to you. That means that you can do whatever you want to do with your mountain! If the trees are a problem, cut them down. If the rivers are not going where you need them to go, redirect them. If there is someone on the land that is not authorized to be there, evict them! It is your mountain! It is your blessing, not your death certificate! Take control of your mountain! God has given it to you and has equipped you for victory. It is a blessing! It is your blessing! It’s only disguised as a mountain!
Be blessed +++
Rev. J. Loren Russell, BS, M.Div., is an associate minister at both Goodwill Baptist and Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx.
The views and opinions expressed on this web site are solely those of the authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Bronx Chronicle, its staff, and/or contributors to our news site.
Follow Us