Find Joy: A Journey To Unshakeable Wonder In An Uncertain World Shembull

A few years back, Jeff and I were driving to speak at a retreat center in the Rockies. We drove between towering cliffs into a secluded valley and gasped out loud. It felt like entering a paradise. A grassy plain spread in front of us, quartered by a burbling river and stream, surrounded by rocky walls. 

As we drove around the perimeter, I gasped again, this time in alarm. At least fifty feet above us, on what looked like a sheer cliff, was a large goat. “Oh no—a goat is stuck!” Just as I began to wonder how to get a rescue operation underway, I saw another goat. And then another one. And another one. 

Bemused, I thought, How in the world did they get up there? How do they avoid falling off? And why are they up there anyway? 

I was quickly reminded of the verse in Habakkuk that says: “God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” A hind is a mountain goat or deer: the verse was being illustrated right before our eyes. As I watched the goats, I realized: they aren’t afraid—they do this all the time! There were narrow paths along the cliff face, and this was where they were supposed to be. They constantly traveled up and down, back and forth, with total confidence. 

To us, it seems scary. We imagine being filled with fear, balancing precariously on narrow ledges. But here’s the thing: that cliff is not our high place. It’s not what we’re designed for. From the mountain goat’s perspective, this is totally what they’re designed for. Imagine the goat’s freedom, the exhilaration of being exactly where it meant to be. 

That can be us, sisters. Our high place is our own area of responsibility and purpose. It might look a bit scary to others (or even to us at first), but it is where God has called us to be and is what He’s built us for. Whether it’s a particular skill set, passion, job, ministry, role in life, or all of the above, our high place is something that someone else might find stressful, but which gives us life. 

It also may be something we’ve avoided stepping into because we’ve talked ourselves out of it. Don’t! Instead, ask God to show you if it is something He has built you for and called you to. If so, it might look scary at first, but your feet will be sure. You’ll have the joy of walking in a way others may not be able to, and trusting Him every day—knowing He has equipped you for exactly this!

Reflect

What are you built for? 

What areas of life or ministry might make others exhausted or nervous, but really light you up and make you happy and excited? (Do you love speaking publicly? Homeschooling? Crunching numbers?) 

List those areas, thank God for them, and pray about whether God wants you to do more with those gifts and callings.