Shelly Says ~ "The Only True Way Up Is Down!"

To go up is to succeed. To go down is to fail. Right? Wrong!

As we search for meaning and our place in this world, our soul is trained to think that we must climb some sort of ladder until we hit a glass ceiling. This sounds physically exhausting and quite painful to me now.

At one time, though, I bought into the hype and saw this "climb" as a great opportunity... not to be passed up.

At an early age (16), I searched for my worth in the corporate jungle. It wasn't long before I spotted the perfect ladder in which I would climb for the next 16 years of my life.

I climbed and climbed. I even hit the glass ceiling... several times.

When I would hit the ceiling, I would proceed to walk that plank and hop the next ladder on my way up another path. Think "Donkey Kong" on steroids. You know the one... made my Nintendo in the early 80's!

Using a joystick, I was not very good at the video game version; however, using my powerful will, I was a master of the real-life version.

I was determined to hurdle ANY obstacle that tried to keep me from my ladders and my goal to reach the top!

Then, one day, I bumped my head a little too hard and some sense was knocked into me. Finally!

As I tried to discern why I was not happy, even though I was very successful in my field, the words of one of my favorite artists came over the radio.

Toby Mac's "Lose My Soul" reminded me that it will not profit man nor WO-man to gain the whole world at the expense of their soul.

Wow! Those words shined through the darkness of my life and that truth set me free! I sought the truth, on my knees, in God's Holy Word. Matthew 16:26 came to life for me that day.

That day, the truth was that I had gained the whole world but I had lost my soul.

Thank God I was set free because I jumped off the ladder that day, free-falling into the arms of my Savior.

I realized that to rise out of the ashes from all the trail-blazing I'd done, I'd have to fall.

I realized that to go up, I had to go down on my knees and cry out to the only One who can redeem me from such despair.

I fell down flat on my face, prostrate before God, and I began to find my soul by looking up.

*** By the way, I am currently seeking God's plan for my new career. Step by step, I am walking the path He has laid out for me.

Instead of steep ladders, dangerous obstacles and glass ceilings... I am finding beautiful hikes, pictures of grace and freedom from limits.

I'm on a journey to stand on the Mountain of God!

When I reach the top, thank God there will be no glass ceiling on which to bump my head: For I know that clean, fresh mountain air and a refreshing drink of Living Water await me! I'm on my way!

ssc