Stages

  I used to think there were two different phases in life.  I believed you were either climbing up a mountain (conquering new goals, pushing through a struggle, growing and changing), or you were at the mountain top (celebrating your success, living the high life, loving every minute.)  I thought that life was a constant ebb and flow back and forth between these two.  But I've learned as I've moved through life that there is a third phase, and this is a phase I would like to call, the "flat land" or "middle ground" for lack of a better term.  This is a phase in life where things are not overly difficult.  You aren't fighting a battle or struggling each step of the way.  They also aren't "peak" experiences.  You aren't waking up each day filled with wonder and amazement at how good things are.  These are days when, you know you are in the right place, you know you are headed in the right direction, and you know you need to just keep moving.  Things in the flat land can seem rather monotonous, and it is here that we can be tempted to do one of two things:  complain because things are "boring"  or, get distracted with things we don't need to be doing.
  I would imagine this is the phase the Israelites were in as they crossed the desert to the Promise Land.  They had already climbed the mountain and fought the battle (slavery, escaping Egypt), but they had not yet reached the mountain top (the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey).  They knew they were where they needed to be, and all they really had to do was keep moving in the right direction.  But instead of just following God one step at a time, they got hung up.  They began to grumble and complain. (Exodus 16-17) They got distracted trying to create their own "mountain top" experiences (ie…inventing a festival to celebrate a golden cow).  (Exodus 32)  Ultimately their grumbling and distraction turned an 11 day journey into a 40 year obstacle which kept them from God's plan.
  Are you on "middle ground" today?  You may not have your dream house or your dream job yet.  You may not have reached your ultimate goal in life.  But sometimes all that is required of us is to stay the course and keep moving forward following God.  Do not allow yourself to be discouraged or distracted today.  Open your eyes to see the beauty in the process, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Keep moving towards where you are called to be. I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.