All of us have trials. They are at the very core of things that define us. Especially in our childhood. When I think back on some of the trials I have experienced, I realize that the road I walked was broken, full of pot holes and up hill climbs. Sometimes I struggled up those hills with worn out shoes and blisters on my feet. Sometimes I fell. Sometimes I got lost and felt despair.
In the book, “On Mystic Mountain” the family experiences all of these things. But just like me, they discover that they don’t make the trip alone. They have friends who show up at just the right time!
When I was small, I moved a lot. About 30 times between birth and age 12, in fact. That in its self is a trial. I was always the new kid. I never knew what was going on. I felt lost and afraid. Add the fact I was timid and an introvert and it was the perfect formula for disaster. I was told more than once that the cards were against me, I would never graduate high school or amount to anything.
However, at age 11, I was rescued. I met my Saviour. He told me I was His child, I was valuable and talented and smart. He gave these gifts to me so I could survive.
We finally settled down when I was in 6th grade. My struggles were not over, though. My family loved me, but they were broken too. We lived well below the poverty line. My Dad worked hard, but he was a binge drinker, something he struggled with all his life. Weekends were the worst for us. He was home and drinking. Words were thrown around loosely and the those same old comments of “your not worth anything”pierced my heart.
I clung to Jesus. I read the Bible. I believed God’s truths and I survived. The demons of my past became the stepping stones of the future. Now I had a path to take. I reached up and took His strong hand and He helped me to the summit.
I hope you all enjoy the book. It is laced with tears, fears and doubts, but it also bursts with hope, belief and joy.
1 Peter 5:10 says: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. NIV
So the suffering lasts just for a little while. Our lives are just vapors but we who are redeemed will live forever with our King!
