Faith Vs. Mountains

Did you ever see that movie, Jason and the Argonauts? There's a scene in it where the men arrive at a desert-like place and skeletons come up out of the ground and commence to battling with the Argonauts. It seems like for every skeleton they whack down, two more come up out of the ground. That gives you a sense of hopelessness for a moment. After some time goes by, the guys start to get ahead of the skeleton evolution and begin to win the battle, but it doesn't happen immediately.

I sort of feel that way sometimes, especially at times that require me to have faith. It's almost like the skeletons feel the need to outnumber me so that I'll just give up and quit. I don't know how they come up with SO MANY in their group, but they always do! I never have quite that sized army on my side.

There is hope, though. I just have to be vigilant in looking for it. I can never look solely at the skeletons or my peripheral vision closes in and I miss the volunteers that are on the outskirts of the battle, and I think they are always there, just less visible. I have even discovered that I can name the skeletons because it seems like they reuse the same ones a lot. There's "Financial Difficulty" and "Car Trouble" and "Health Problem" and "Unexpected Bill" and "Bad Timing" and "Emotional Upheaval" .... just to name a few. I did say there is hope out there, right? And there is. If I look around me, I can find my friends "Scriptures" and "Close Friends" and "Patriarchal Blessing" and "Loved Ones". There are fewer on my side, but the hope comes from knowing that the ones on my side of the battle are STRONGER than those on the dirt skeletons side.

Crazy analogy, I know. To be more specific, it is so hard on me and my family and our feelings for Manti to leave. There are so many things involved that it is easy to get overwhelmed. Sometimes it seems like I do all this to please someone else and just overlook my own needs and feelings, and that's how I get that tunnel vision that cuts out my view of those around me willing to help make it easier. We've gotten the majority of the things he needs to take with him. If we don't get it all right now, it's really ok, because the US postal service delivers and he has a mailing address already. I can ship him the things I haven't gotten yet. So that eliminates that point of stress! WOOHOO! He studies his Spanish notes and flash cards everyday, and he reads his scriptures (and knows them better than I do!) everyday. He is very familiar with his Preach My Gospel book,.....so he is preparing....another stress eliminated. He has a plane ticket...I don't know how that works, so that's a stress, BUT we'll go to the airport as a family and the task of figuring it all out isn't my burden alone- we'll share it, so it will work out. Another stress bites the dust!

Satan is the source of the stress, fear, difficulties, problems that pop up,.... he is the one leading the army of dirt skeletons. I just have to remember that they collapse when hit just once, so I can win this. I have to swing my faith every step I take,....and if I do it, it will all work out. I can not only beat the skeletons, but I can even move the mountain they are coming out of :)

Now I just have to come back to this blog everyday and read this again and again so I don't forget it!