Mountains

Mountains have been on my mind lately. In the scriptures there are references to removing mountains. In the Bible we find references to being able to remove mountains with faith: Matthew 17:20 and 21:21. The Book of Mormon also gives reference to this in Jacob 4:6. That got me thinking, how many of us have actual need to remove mountains? I don’t think the scriptures talk about that so that people can go around just moving mountains according to their own will and pleasure. Like everything spiritual, there needs to be a purpose for something to take place.  So why would we need to move a mountain? There may be times, or have been times, when there has been a need for someone to remove a physical mountain; but I’ve been thinking about other mountains we have. They could be spiritual, emotional, physical challenges, etc. Like so many things in the scriptures I think that these passages may have been talking about different types of mountains. 

Some mountains we can just look at and enjoy the beauty of, or feel accomplished for having climbed and conquered it. Others can seem so big and immovable we don’t have any idea how to get over it, through it, or around it. I think those are the times when we especially need to turn to the Lord for help in “moving that mountain”. Maybe we’ll have some mountains that will be immediately removed but often times I think we have to go through the back breaking struggle of moving our mountains one shovel-full at a time. That can be a time of great strengthening and learning of endurance for us, it can also sometimes wear us down to the point we feel like we can’t move it on our own. The great thing is that none of us have to move those mountains alone! With the help of Heavenly Father, who so often works through others, we can have someone or several someone’s right beside us shoveling away and helping us push those heavy boulders out of the way. We have to be willing to accept the help though and sometimes that can be one of the heaviest boulders to move.

I have dealt with my own physical limitation mountains lately. I have watched friends and family members deal with their “mountains” of different sorts a lot lately as well. I’ve felt the help of others in helping me “shovel” and I hope I’ve been of help in “shoveling” others mountains too. 

In the words of Rascal Flatts “walking’s easy when the road is flat, those danged old hills will get you every time. The good Lord gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb.” I hope to be better at looking at my mountains as an opportunity to learn how to climb or be strengthened by shoveling.