A different Everest

What is the shape of the human will?  It’s big, I know.  And conquering it can appear exhausting, much like climbing Everest.  Yet Everest always looks like Everest.  The human will seems to adapt in size.  Last week it was rectangularly shaped in the form of a DSW shoe coupon that I insisted on using.  This week it was blue and white and shaped like the blanket I selfishly grabbed for finally catching some sleep.  Ours is a will that is self-centered.  It’s impure.  Sometimes it’s been to my own detriment that I’ve determined to have my way, such as one occasion when I wanted to stay angry at my husband.  The whole scenario backfired on me, leaving my stomach in knots and any sense of a productive day debilitated because I needlessly wanted to prove a point.  We can thank the Lord that while Jeremiah 17 says the human heart is deceitful, we also have Philippians 2 that says He works in us and through us to yield His good purpose.  Our natural condition is fallen and self-destructive, yet the Lord does not leave us alone.  He guides us to discern the many shapes of selfishness.  It's not an insurmountable mountain, and He refreshes us in the climb.