one teaspoonful at a time

Moving a mountain one teaspoonful at a time is the title of a devotion I read years ago.   I shared it with my group of coworkers and passed out plastic teaspoons at the end to serve a reminder-He is able.

I ran across that same devotion Monday of this week.  It couldn’t have been more on time.

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Saturday afternoon after we closed the store I went upstairs to face my mountain.  My Mt. Everest this year has been learning/using the Quickbooks software program at the store.  As I have so previously stated-numbers make me want to throw-up.  And to make a very long, complicated story short…the first 8 months at the store we were swimming through dirty water.  Translation: old records and accounts mixed with new. By early September we had a plan of action and began setting up a new company with only our numbers in it.  Which sounds great and it will be when I’m done but right now it’s not great not anywhere close to great because in setting up this new company we have had to re-enter every single check written, every deposit we’ve made and recover from old-to new -every single sales transaction we’ve made since Jan. 2nd.  Please keep in mind -even on the best of days-number make me want to puke.

Soooo Saturday when I went upstairs the computer was acting funny…my files “not found”..the files and accounts that my wonderful CPA friend and my sister and myself had been working on for months…”NOT FOUND!”…I got sick.

I texted my CPA friend a desperate “HELP”–not considering it was kick-off time for the Iron Bowl.  And in this part of the country-as it turns out -is sacred, uninterrupted time-so I went home.  Feeling sick. “Surely the files aren’t gone!” “Why aren’t they on my back-up drive?” each question in my mind only making me more sick. Doing my best to distract myself-I cleaned like a crazy person and cried.  Saturday night while some were celebrating their Iron Bowl victory and others were drowning their sorrows-I was sick and crying over lost files and numbers.  Sunday during church -I cried.  After church I cried some more.  I did my best to relieve my frustration by pruning every single shrub in my yard. And I thought the gazillion leaves that I raked and burned would have helped-because I LOVE to burn leaves-but it didn’t.  All I could think about was the mountain of numbers I had lost.  I prayed all day- “Lord, I’m weary.  I have been as cheerful and as long-suffering as I can be with this project.  Please help me.”

Sunday night-I had nightmares about numbers.

Monday morning when I woke for my quiet time I stumbled upon this from years ago…..

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The mountain of mine is huge, Father! I’ve prayed over and over that you would remove it from me but still it remains, looming, threatening.  Must I move it myself? I don’t think I can handle such a task.

There’s much to be done in so little time.   Yet I am determined.  Whether I am weary or not, in season or out, I must begin moving my mountain, even if it’s only one teaspoonful at a time.

Lord, help me face each problem head on within Your will.  When fires are hot, parching winds surround me, remind me you are here…When life’s heavy rocks fall on and about me, I shall not fear, for You are helping me, guiding me all the way.

At times I may ask, “Why me Lord? Why must I move this mountain and carry this tree, my cross?  I’m too weak.”

Please help me.  Please love me.  I trust You for this mountain shall be removed and I praise You for the victories to come.

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And so I prayed.  I cried these exact words out to the Lord.  I pleaded with Him..”I need You..as I face the possibilities of redoing all that has been lost-I’m weary -help me Lord.. do what only You can do”

guess what y’all?  He heard my prayers.  “because He bends down and listens I will pray as long as I have breath.” Ps 116:1-2

My CPA friend came by the store later that afternoon and she FOUND THE FILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHE FOUND THE FILES on the downstairs computer.  The upstairs computer had gotten disconnected -without my knowing(by my youngest-and that’s another story for another day)..

You may say, “So whoop-de-doo?  so, she found some files.”

The files, the numbers-they’re my mountain.  The one I’ve been working to remove one teaspoonful at a time.

Case and point.

He cares about YOUR mountain.

He’s able to move YOUR mountain.

He wants YOU to need HIM.  To cry out to Him.  No matter how small or ginormous YOUR mountain may be.  Ask Him to help you.

He is faithful.  He is good.

I pray you’re encouraged by this little story.  I sure was.

Have a great day y’all.

:O)k