Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I had a lot on my mind when I first opened my eyes this morning, and I was inclined to let the details of life stand in the way of my joy. But when I turned to the Living God and I gave Him my time and attention and I replaced the details with Praise instead; I found my Peace, and all those thoughts dimmed in His Presence. This little holly tree, framed in the shadows of bigger trees, served as a sweet Reminder to me this morning of how I might be inclined to think small, and I might feel overwhelmed with the details if I let myself be, but I’m always surrounded with Help and Hope by One much bigger than I am. Isn’t that the way you look at your Life too?

The mind is an incredible Design by the Hand of God and it’s the engine behind every step and every breath we take. But it can also be the Battle Ground that leads to discouragement and defeat if we aren’t careful. It can be so easy to see ourselves like this little holly tree. All alone and Smaller than all the rest… and vulnerable to the Wind and the Rain because of it. But when we’re willing to look closely, we can always find the shadows of Help and Hope IF we don’t let the mind consume the heart. Happiness isn’t necessarily a state of mind…it’s a state of the heart..but when happiness doesn’t come easy it’s always the Battle Ground of the mind that stands in the way. It’s the thought of sadness that has the potential to override the joy. It’s the thought of defeat that has the potential to override the victory. It’s the thought of weakness that has the potential to override the strength. It’s the thought of loss that has the potential to override the gain. It’s the thought of all those little details that have little significance in a Big Picture, that have the potential to override the Majesty of a Mighty God. I know with certainty that if I’d let all those details run wild in my mind this morning, I wouldn’t just lose sight of my Help and my Hope; I’d be a worthless Vessel for the Living God today. When I look at it that way, I can’t afford to become a Battle Ground that leads to my defeat…NOT if my first priority is to serve my God, that is.

We read in the Bible that in the midst of a bloody battle Moses went to the top of the mountain to raise his arms (and his staff) toward the Throne of God for Help and Hope. The battle went on for a long while, and Moses grew weary from raising his arms. Every time he lowered his arms in fatigue, the enemy began to take hold of the battle. But when his arms were raised up to the Source of his Strength; his army saw victory. Defeat isn’t optional when it comes to those things of God. So, God sent Moses Help and Hope (otherwise known as Aaron and Hur) and those two Faithful friends sat Moses down on a rock to rest, and they held up his arms FOR him because he was too weak to do it himself, and those Faithful friends held his arms steady until sunset. The same God that sent Help and Hope to Moses is MY God, and I know that He will always send Help and Hope to me too… as long as I Trust Him and I refuse to be defeated in the Battle Ground of my mind. When I’m weary from the journey, God will send me an Aaron and Hur too and He’ll have them stand beside me when I’m too weak to go-it-alone. I may feel like that little holly tree every once in a while, but I’m always surrounded by Help and Hope and I’ll NEVER be defeated…IF I don’t let my mind override my heart, that is.

How about you?