Ministry and Mt. Everest

“I felt like quitting, but I just kept going.” Do these words sound familiar? These are words that ministry leaders have uttered many times – the key word is BUT! When you feel like you are at your end, and you can’t keep going – that’s when you KEEP GOING! Bill Wilson, of Metro Ministries, says the two hardest things to do in life is starting and finishing. I wholeheartedly agree. Forward movement sometimes doesn’t look much like movement when you’re in it. Circumstances change, feelings change, but God’s plan and direction never change.

There’s a story I heard about Mt. Everest climbers. People who have climbed Mt. Everest have felt the same way. At first they have lost of energy and gain a lot of altitude in the first legs of their journey, but as they get higher they slow down and camp at checkpoints. They take longer breaks, sometimes days at a time, so they can build strength amidst the thinning air. This story always encourages me and I share it with others feeling stagnant or like things “aren’t happening like they thought it would.” Are you climbing or are you at a checkpoint? Both are necessary to reach the top.

The Israelites were in the same situation when they left Egypt. By day they followed the Lord in a cloud, and by night they followed Him by fire. (Exodus 13:21.) Throughout Exodus you read the words, “they camped in (city).” It was a journey, and not a sprint across the desert.

There’s a time to move and a time to rest. Which time are you in? Times of rest are not to be stagnant – this is time to prepare for the next move. If you are in season of “climbing” or moving and you are overwhelmed with change, take heart, rest is coming. If you are in a season of rest – take heart, prepare for when it’s time to move again!