Sacrifice, mountains, and more

I walked away from a long exam one morning enjoying how it felt to be done. A brief breath of air amongst the tide of constant studying. It's a great thing to work so hard for something, finish it and get to look back on what you've done with a sense of accomplishment and relief. We have all had that feeling and the pride that comes with it. And yet this morning I also realized this momentary joy doesn't even compare to the joy you get from looking back at that same huge task knowing that in and of yourself there was no way you could scale that mountain; yet here you stand by the power of God alone! That feeling, not of accomplishment and pride, but of utter humility and awe is one of the greatest feelings in the world! So you can work really hard, grit your teeth and accomplish whatever dream is in your reach, or you can step out on faith. Follow God when He leads you to something you could never do on your own. Then all that hard work and the mountain that has been moved can be laid at the feet of the one who saved you and in that moment you will have fulfilled your purpose.

We are told it only takes a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain. I always wondered how exactly that worked. But I've realized now as I am about to finish another segment of medical school that this is my mountain. I remember quite well looking ahead to taking the MCAT, applying to and being accepted to medical school and visualizing it as Mount Everest. I didn't want to even attempt to scale it because, if by some miracle I made it, then there was the even greater mountain of medical school itself. But God in His grace kept me going. If it were up to me I would never be here simply because I was too afraid to try. I would never have known the great things God could accomplish through me. So this morning instead of taking a moment of pride in finishing this exam before I move on the the next, I'm choosing to remember how I got here and the power that is at work in me. Never before have the truths of Ephesians 3:20,21 been so real to me, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to HIM be glory! . . ."

But the thing is, God still requires us to step out on that faith. It requires a certain amount of sacrifice. The relationships (the one that is hardest for me), the sleep, the time, the hard work, it goes on and on. One night during finals, I was at my breaking point. Every time I start not wanting to studying I just have to grit my teeth and keep going, because ,well you just have to. But I had already done that several times in that last few days and this was different. I was tired, and overwhelmed by all that needed to be done. On top of that I was mad about everything I had been missing out on. Friends weddings, heck just missing out on my friends lives. Then I sat on my bed with my flash cards and looked over at my head board that I made 2 years ago when I found out I got into med school. It reads "YAWEAH, He is worth it, He is enough". . . How many times have I glanced up there just when I needed to be reminded. Sacrifice, yes, but in the end, He is worth it.