Gravel In My Travel

Mountain top experiences are the best. In those moments its like our faith is invincible like we can't be shaken or quieted. Its a passionate place to be. Where the presence of God is so thick and tangible and we cant imagine what life was before it. 

Weekend retreats, big conferences, special services all leave us filled, refreshed and empowered. Its like God orchestrated this event to specifically speak to me. Its precious and sweet.  This time on the mountain top is life changing. It can switch the direction our feet are treading and push us towards the new seasons and new heights in our relationship with our savior. 

I have some pretty amazing mountain top experiences. 

During a youth conference at my home church I felt the call to go to Masters Commission, thus changing my life forever and igniting a hunger to know the Lord.

Half way through my first year of Masters at the Winter Ramp I experienced a love encounter with God surrounded by 5,000 people on a concrete floor. I realized the significance of Jesus the son of God Holy and Majestic dying on the cross a sinners death he didn't deserve just because he loved me and wanted to be with me. I fell to my knees and accepted the Holy Spirit to come and fill me and use me. 

These were mountain top encounters. 

Precious moments in my life that have pushed me to new levels in Christ.

Last year I started this blog in the begging of the Masters year thinking I would blog about my new life. I chose the name Gravel in My Travel because I loved this country song that had this lyric in it and I just thought it would be pretty clever to name my blog that because I am living in Iowa and in the country. 

But little did I know almost a year and a half later here I am sitting in my room realizing the significance of it.

I would not be where I am without those mountain top experiences. But A lot of my walk with God has been spent on the gravel roads, moment by moment. When I wasn't in a room full of thousands of worshipers or on a stage at a conference. When the passion and the "high" of the special encounters wore off I had to fight my flesh to want to worship God. I have to fight through sleepiness every Monday morning to play guitar for concert of prayer.

I have to fight through the bad attitudes and quick remarks I so easily let slip. 

There's going to be gravel in my travel. 

Sometimes God will withhold his presence so we will search for him. So he can test our faithfulness. The question is will I still pursue God on the gravel road, in the everyday, moment by moment?

On the mountain tops we can see the trees being blown by the wind below. The trees that are firmly rooted are not uprooted at the gushes of wind. In fact from the mountain tops it looks as if the trees are dancing with wind. Dancing with the Spirit wind. But on the gravel roads we can't always see the Glory of our faithfulness. We can't always see the symbolism of our roots being rooted deep into the soil, deep in the word and prayer. The labor of our walk with God.

Oh to be firmly rooted so when the winds blow we will still be dancing under the pressure. Bringing glory to God. To remember that we are rooted to the Rock. He is faithful even we are not faithful for he cannot deny who he is as it say in 2 Timothy. 

Stay FAITHFUL in the process has been the words the Lord has given me in this season of my life.

So as we are all walking along our gravel roads, along your nicely paved roads, or where ever in life we walk regularly may you stay faithful. Remember your mountain top moments, and in the valleys and on the gravel roads stay rooted to the rock. 

" But they delight in the law of the Lord meditating on it day and night. They are like tree's planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit in each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." - Psalms 1:2-3