Laundry Mountain
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
Let’s talk about mountains a minute. Mountains are big. They’re heavy and stationary. They block our vision. And mountains are beautiful, but if we aren’t prepared for them they can make us feel small, powerless and even lost.
I’ve always assumed the mountains in this verse are the ones we find on a map (is that silly?). It didn’t even occur to me that Jesus could be talking about figurative mountains until last week as I walked past my couch; at least I thought my couch was still under there...
With that in mind, let me introduce you to “Laundry Mountain.” You won’t find it on any map. It moves from week to week. The moment I think I have conquered Laundry Mountain, I find it’s piled higher than ever.
Laundry Mountain does make me feel small when I consider my abilities. It does make me feel powerless in my home. And I do sometimes feel lost in where to begin and how to move forward once it arises.
When the mountains of stress at work, anxiety over what we’re “doing wrong”, grief over the loss of a friendship or anger over miscommunication lie in front of us, what do we do?
Jesus doesn’t tell us in the verse to “push the mountain with all your muscles and watch it move.” He tells us our faith is capable. Faith relies on us to believe, without seeing, that someone above has the strength. We have to exercise our faith, like our muscles; but it inherently relies on someone outside ourselves.
I really don’t love the laundry. As a family of 6, it is always out of control. But I will look at the piles a little differently from now on. When I find myself frozen from the overwhelm, I’ll try to take a deep breath and thank God for the reminder to exercise my faith.
What mountains are in your way this week?
The real laundry mountain, May 2023.
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