Casting Mountains Into Oceans

Mark 11:23 -- "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him."

Walking into the kitchen to check on the Christmas cookies I could smell baking in the oven, I stepped on the little bit of exposed tack strip that holds the carpet down between the tiled breakfast nook and the carpeted living room. I winced and looked down and the bright red spot growing on the bottom of my sock. I have stepped on that thing at least a billion times since we moved into this house! One would think that I'd remember it's there and stop puncturing my feet with it. Somehow, however, I manage to impale some portion of my foot on the carpet tacks at least a couple of times a month. One of these days, I'll stop stepping on it. 

Or at least, that's what I tell myself.  One of these days I'll stop making the same mistake over and over again. And while I promise myself that I'll learn from this most recent mis-step - deep in my heart of hearts, I doubt it will ever happen. Because whispering in the back of my head, I hear a little voice tell me that I will be stepping on that stupid tack strip for as along as we dwell here. 

In short, I don't truly have any hope that I'll learn from my mistake. 

Perhaps that is the reason for my lack of success in the battle between me and the carpet tacks. I have doubt. 

Obviously I'm using my evil tack strip to illustrate a point and while I do step on it often, the bad habit of forgetting that it's there is not going to dramatically impact my life - other bad habits, however, are a different story. 

Every single year my husband and I sit down and draw a kind of road map that will lead us through the Christmas season with most of our sanity intact. And every year we make a promise to ourselves that THIS time, we're keeping it simple. THIS season, we refuse to allow ourselves to be stressed out. THIS year, we will NOT bite off more than we can chew and get swept away by the flash-flood, over-commercialized holiday season that is Christmas. 

BUT - once again, as we approach the last full week before Christmas, I find myself sitting in front of our Christmas tree, eyes glazed over, feet throbbing, and head aching -- a pile of things that I have yet to wrap clutters my dresser top and closet, while in my head I'm trying to keep up with homeschooling, laundry, and getting the bathrooms clean. Once again I find myself wondering just how in the world I let Commercial Christmas beat me ..... AGAIN! There are moments when I find that I envy the Grizzly Bear - tucked away all nice and neat and cozy - snoozing away the chaos of tangled up Christmas lights and the shortage of scotch tape. [WHY is the tape always gone?!]

In Mark chapter 11, Jesus reminds us that we should march forward in prayer with faith. Goals I have set for myself should be conquered with a strong faith that can move mountains! I'll never cast mountains into oceans if I don't cling to the truth in God's promises and claim victory for my very own. That means -- KNOWING that God is sufficient to supply all my needs. It means KNOWING I can climb to the top of the next hill/adversity/bad habit - not just THINKING that I can!

Turning the corner into another brand new year - I have decided to make Mark 11:23 my resolution. I will fight my battles with faith.  I will NOT doubt victory over issues that pop up in my life. Instead, I will march forward and KNOW God will grant me TRIUMPH!!