Duly Noted: For Every Mountain, I Won’t Complain
0By Jarrett in : Duly Noted, Jarrett Hill // Aug 25 2010
Tomorrow morning begins a new chapter in my life. I leave for Seattle to join Celebrity Cruises, traveling to places I never imagined I’d be blessed to see, especially not on the dime of a company.
I was on Facebook and a friend, Avie Durr, had posted a video of John Legend performing, classic gospel song,’I Won’t Complain.’ The lyrics of this song really spoke to me…
“I’ve had some good days
The first issue of TJHS Newsletter, released in September 2005, chronicled my first month living in Atlanta.
I’ve had some hills to climb
I’ve had some weary days
I’ve had some weary nights
But when I look around
And think things over
All of my good days
Outweigh my days
So, I won’t complain.”
Many of you have followed me from when I started “The Jarrett Hill Show Newsletter” when I moved to Atlanta, now exactly 5 years ago. It was the beginning of a very different time for me. I had “some good days,” many many “hills to climb,” “but [oh] when I look around” and “think things over, all of my good days” truly “outweigh my bad days.” When I think of how far I’ve come, how much the Lord has blessed me, the beyond-explanation-people that have been brought to my life, the outrageous opportunities I’ve been afforded… “I won’t complain.”
From love to heartbreak, opportunity to unemployment, from crashing on a friend’s couch for weeks to a beautiful home, from trying to figure out my place in the world to being confident in purpose and position, if nothing else could ever be said about my experience of God, God has undoubtedly been faithful.
There’s another song called For Every Mountain and the vamp of the song is beautifully simple but unspeakably powerful to me:
“For every mountain
You’ve brought me over
For every trial
You’ve seen me through
For every blessing
Hallelujah.
For this, I give you praise.”
I don’t think I have to elaborate there. The words are so strong, if only to me. “For every trial…”
Lastly, I attended my dad’s church a couple of Sundays ago, the praise team sang a beautiful Chris Tomlin song called Our God (Is Greater), the vamp there asks two quite matter-of-fact questions.
If our God is for us
Who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us
What could ever stand against?
I don’t want to get all churchy on anyone, may be a little late for that (lol) – these lyrics hung in and on my heart the whole day. I have to be honest and say I haven’t met great deals of opposition in the way of people fighting against my professional goals or dreams, but I have faced mountainous adversity in personal life. I’ve struggled with things that I’ve shared here on JarrettHill.com and in my newsletters. Overall, I’ve always been blessed with God’s favor to move forward, move higher & closer to my dreams every single day.
And when the days and nights are weary, when I’m climbing a seemingly insurmountable mountain, when in the middle of a trial – just thinking and knowing that God is for me… makes the night a little bit shorter; the day a little bit brighter; the climb a little more possible; and the trial just seem like a test.
All of the hard times aside, I’m “ridiculously blessed,” as my former pastor liked to say. You are too.
You may say it’s so easy for me to say that because I have a job, but not too long ago, I lost one. You may say it’s easy to say because I have an income, but I’m NOT AT ALL far removed from being broke. You could say a million reasons why I’m more blessed, more this or more that, but all of that doesn’t mean anything. Simply put, WE are blessed. We’ve got everything we need. And our Source is sufficient.
Someone today, I know, is looking at their lives frustrated, angry, confused, buried under a mountain of circumstances. But none of the things standing before you are bigger than the blessings on the other side. It can’t compete with what you have ahead of you if you can just get through the cloudy days. A preacher once said “he’s bigger than your problem, bigger than your circumstance, bigger than your situation, bigger than that obstacle standing in front of you, and if you’ll magnify Him something is going to happen.”
Be blessed, then note it, duly.
All my best,
j.
I Won’t Complain (performed by John Legend)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBZrVqd0ahQ]
For Every Mountain (performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO2JPnxPmFg&feature=related]
Our God (Is Greater) (performed by Chris Tomlin)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_t_87NyHx0&feature=fvw]