Mountains

[vc_row][vc_column][nd_options_text nd_options_text_tag=”p” nd_options_text_weight=”normal” nd_options_text=”by Danielle Schmidt”][nd_options_spacer nd_options_height=”15″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Taking a deep, refreshing breath of encouragement, I smile as I step forward. Relief is in sight, success just around the bend. The air smells different here- it is fresh and clean, full of hope and promise. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear a sound that chills my very bones. A howling wind sweeps in and knocks me to my knees. All around, dark, ominous clouds begin to take shape. As a heavy drop of rain hits my forehead, I turn around and flee back down the mountain, desperate for a place to hide out from the deluge to come. Erasing my feeling of hope, disappointment, disillusionment, and discouragement weigh me down. “Dis-hope,” if that were a word, crushes my soul. Crouching into a damp cave just in time to avoid being washed further down the mountain, my mind is assaulted by fear of all the dangers that could be lurking in the depths of my hideout. Fears squeeze in a death grip what faith I have left. My mind is now drowning my soul in thoughts of despair and anxiety. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In one moment, my hope was crushed.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In one moment, pain stole my victory.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In one moment, my faith faced its arch enemy, fear, head-on.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Here, in this drenched and hurting state, when it looks as if hope is hopeless and faith is a lie, I have a choice. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I can choose to hide out in my fears, step away from the storm, and backtrack down the mountain to “safety.” I can give up my dreams as unrealistic and allow fear to keep me from my victory…or I can choose to stand on what I know. Dig my feet into the solid rock I am rooted in and blindly trust. Step out into the deluge and allow it to cleanse the mud from my body and soul. Hike upwards as I cling to the rope that anchors me to safety- my faith- my trust in a God who is stronger than my storm.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I choose to step out into unknown because of the One who knows my name. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I choose to walk my weakened feet because I know the One who gives me strength.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I choose to silence the fears that try to paralyze me with shouts of praise to the One who saves me. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I can no longer see the crest of the mountain through the rain, but my spirit sees it clearer than ever. I cannot now smell the essence of my victory but I can feel it rising inside me even as the water rises around my feet.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As my tears blend with the raindrops, I am cleansed of fear. As my trudging feet declare my determination, they know which steps to take.  
Suddenly, I notice a silence in my ears- I can no longer hear the pounding rain nor even feel the drops on my face. A warmth radiates from inside me and I no longer shiver. Still the storm rages, yet within me and flowing out from me is a tranquility, a peace, a stillness that belies the storm around me. 
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I press on. And I am stronger. The storm that tried to drown me instead brought me higher. Not because of my strength. Not because of me at all. It is because of the anchor of my soul- the rope of safety I cling to. I know if I let go I have nothing but empty hands; yet if I hold on I have everything.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]So go ahead, challenges, come. I dare you, fear, to try and stop me. You only make me cling tighter to this hope, this faith. And in that, I am strong. For greater is HE who is in me. Greater is His plan than I can conceive. He is always good, always faithful, and in Him, I succeed.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I will see my mountaintop. I will crest the summit and cross to the other side. And even as I see the next mountain along my journey’s path, I will be invigorated inside knowing it is these climbs that strengthen me, these challenges that make me, because this anchor that holds me will never fail.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
James 1:2-4 MSG[/vc_column_text][nd_options_spacer nd_options_height=”15″][/vc_column][vc_column][nd_options_team nd_options_layout=”layout-4″ nd_options_title=”Danielle Schmidt” nd_options_description=”She is Mama to three perfectly imperfect kiddos who are a cute package of her greatest joys and greatest challenges. She is Wife to the best God-given gift – her man who lovingly brings out the best of her yet still loves the worst of her. Usually overwhelmed and occasionally stressed, she is homeschool Teacher, Office Manager for their business, and occasionally Housekeeper or Cook. And in the spare moments when she can dig deeper than the surface expectations, she is Writer. Called to share her struggles, triumphs, imagination and dreams on paper in hopes that someone can be encouraged.

Ocala native, Florida-loving, yet called frequently by the Carolina mountains to come enjoy the views above their sunshine land for fresh air and fresh perspective. Often found running because it is a release of pent-up stress and emotion, because of the challenge of the next big run, and possibly because she is always unofficially competing with her little sister. Family connections are the ties that bind her life together and the blessing she treasures like gold. Coffee is her worldly passion; you’ll rarely see her without a cup. Her deepest dream is to raise Godly children, create an environment of peace in her home, love her husband unconditionally and so propel him to be all he can be, and by the life she leads somehow make a positive difference in others’ lives. (“Think big” is their motto!) Graced by God daily to live amidst distractions, love amidst challenge, and somehow find balance in it all, she is Danielle C. Schmidt.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body.”
PROVERBS 16:24 AMP”][/vc_column][/vc_row]