Summer Salty Remix: Rock Bottom

I didn't forget about you , trust me , but my solo guest had an unexpected emergency and could not join us , and then my next guest had to cancel too , which has led me to do what I'm calling a summer pause for the cause .

So if you're listening and you're from the US and you know it's summer , even though it's summer and our kids are out of school , it doesn't necessarily mean that you have slowed down . On the contrary , it may be pedal to the metal as you speed here and you speed there .

So for this podcast and the one next week , as we continue to focus forward on success , I'm going to bring back two of our most popular podcasts and fan favorites . As these topics might just meet us all right where we're at , I've called this two-podcast series Salty Summer Remix .

As you will note , a little saltier side of my speech as I teach For those of you that are new or haven't heard these podcasts before . I hope you , like me , enjoy listening to them , as they've reminded me of some things that I need to stay focused on .

Have you ever had those times in life where you felt like you hit rock bottom , whether it's by the way of a simple slip of your foot , a slow fade where you lost your balance , falling backwards all the way to the bottom , or even with the intention to just go over the edge , as at the time that seemed like the best option ?

I'm guessing everybody listening can probably say , yeah , I've been there . I even have the scars to prove it .

Maybe you are even there now as you sit at the bottom in this cold , dark , damp place , frantically looking for something to grab onto , as you look up to the tall , cold cavern of the rocky , jagged and slippery walls , thinking to yourself how did I get here ? Does anybody even know that I'm here and how are they going to find me all the way down here ?

How am I going to get out of this place and does anyone even care to find me ? The answer is a resounding yes , girl . Yes . Welcome to another episode of it's a Single Mom Thing , I think . Especially as single parents , we all have hit rock bottom and , I'm guessing more than just once .

Can you relate oh , I certainly can Whether it was from the initial shock of being divorced not just from my spouse , but all of my family and friends too , or the four times I was unemployed with no income in sight , or the five times that we had to move from apartment to apartment .

And then , finally , there was the sudden sickness that struck both my son and I , flaring up every six weeks . Mm-hmm , you heard me . We would just finally get healthy and feel like ourselves again , and then one of us would get sick and then the other . This cycle repeated for two years and together we hit rock bottom .

Yeah , I know a little about hitting rock bottom . It is not a place where I like to be , nor want to visit again . I certainly much prefer the view from the top of the rocks , much like taking in the majestic and magnificent view over the Grand Canyon .

I mean , the world looks so different from way up there the colors , the sights , the sounds and the sudden shift in perspective . It is a Grand Canyon , but even that looks different from the bottom . So let's be honest In a fallen world there will be times where we will fall , kind of like we discussed last week about being in the fire .

It is the place we live until he returns . But while we are here , we don't have to stay at the bottom . Use the rock . In my times at the bottom I have learned some things . One I watch where I step .

But even greater than that , because I know there will be times that maybe where I don't fall , let's say as far , but if I do , I can use the rock to climb back up . Now I want you to notice I did did not say rocks plural , I said the rock .

And no , I am not talking about Dwayne the Rock , johnson , get your head out of the gutters , ladies , although I'll have to say that view would be nice . I'm just saying , but honestly , he can't ever do what the rock can do . Who is the rock ? Well , you should know by now from all the podcasts who I am talking about .

But I will explain it like this , and I'm going to start in Psalms 18.2 in the ESV . The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer , my God , my rock and my fortress and my deliverer , my God , my rock and womb . I take refuge , my shield and the horn of my salvation , my stronghold .

You see , no matter how far I fell , he was my stronghold that I took hold of to climb back up . Now don't get me wrong . There were plenty of times , as I am hard-headed as those rocks , that I tried to do it all on my own . He wasn't always my go-to solution , because , you know , this girl can do it all by herself , right ?

And just as I grab onto a rock and then another and start to pull myself up out of the pit that I had fallen into , I'd either lose my grip , get tired or a rock would suddenly loosens itself .

And I was right back where I started , from the bottom , you'd think , after the first time , with skinned knees , bumps on my head , calloused hands and a tired back . I would get it , certainly wanting to avoid the pain of another pitfall . But , truth be told , sometimes I was so angry that I was there .

I didn't want anybody's help , and certainly not his as I was confused as to , maybe as to why he let me fall that far . And well , that's a message for another time .

Then there were the times that I simply forgot that I have a rock that wants to help me back up , that I have a rock that wants to help me back up , a rock that doesn't want me to fall , nor likes it when I fall . I have a rock that wants to be my present help , and he doesn't just want to help me , he wants to help you too .

No matter how far you have fallen or even fallen away from him far you have fallen or even fallen away from him , he is still there waiting for you to use the rock to climb back up Rock climbing . So as an experienced rock climber , so to speak , I have learned something about rock climbing . I am not very good at it .

In fact , it scares the bejesus out of me . It's funny because , as a gots-to-be-outdoors-all-the-time-love-a-great-adventure kind of person , rock climbing well , it is just not my jam . Now , from the ground , looking up , watching other rock climbers , I'm like , yeah , I am all about that kind of that person . I'm like , yeah , I am all about that kind of that person .

But that's from the vantage point of both feet firmly planted on the ground , looking up To get to the top . That is a whole nother experience this low to the ground . Five foot one , two inch firecracker is afraid of heights , but love having a life with God that takes me to new heights .

For me , rock climbing is kind of very symbolic of how I've handled situations where maybe I've hit rock bottom or even just simply needed to get out of my comfort zone . That I , too , still am learning from , as I learned to use the rock to climb back up , and you know what ?

I'll use a recent example from my own life to give you better clarity of what I'm talking about . Recently , I went on an adventure camping trip and there was rock climbing . My son and best friend wanted to try it out and I was like that looks sick . But if I'm going to be honest , I think I'm going to be sick just watching these people .

Going to be honest , I think I'm going to be sick just watching these people . I don't know if it was the pressure from my peer group or myself that was more intense and selling me on this being a great idea , because you know what I know myself to be true . As such , I was like , yeah , I got this . Harness me in .

Maybe this time will be different Now to make things a little more interesting and intense . Mind you , it had just rained two hours prior to our start and the granite rocks were slippery and the first quarter of the climb was over some wet and slippery moss .

And if that wasn't enough , the rock climb was at an 80 degree incline too , with very little rock formations to grab onto . Yeah , sure , this is a good idea , not ? Nevertheless , I started my ascent . Oh , I feel good about myself . I am fit , I am strong , I have got this . As I got past the moss , I was like , okay , I can do this .

So I continued to climb . As I got higher , oh , I realized I am further from the ground and a long way to go from the top . As I looked to my left and my right and ahead of me , I noticed there were not many crevices to dig my hands and toes into to pull me up . The incline was getting steep and my feet froze .

The guys on the line below pulled tighter on the belay . When they felt the weight of my momentum come to a complete stop , they screamed we got you , girl , keep going . You got this . In my head I was like oh , I so don't got this .

The panic started to creep in , tears were rolling down my face and the negative voices were swirling in my head , and both my feet and arms started to shake . I was stuck and paralyzed by fear . Suddenly , my right foot slipped , scraping my knee against the side of the rock face .

Instantly , I began to notice the throbbing pain in my knee from what wasn't just a scrape but a gash . I felt the blood begin to drip down my knee and my right leg hanging there , and the weight of which would soon have my left knee in the same place if I didn't make a move quickly .

I felt the guys below tighten on the line again once more , even more tighter than before , and as the force of my unsupported right leg was pulling the weight of my entire body towards rock bottom , the weight of the fear in my mind was saying let go and just fall . You can't do this .

Then another voice , speaking louder than that , said that's right , you can't , but with me all things are possible . Use me to climb the rocks . I can't , I'm tired , I have too far to go and I'm scared . I will never make it . Then I heard but what if , together , we do this ? Let's go to the top . It's not going to be easy , but I got you .

I will never leave you or forsake you . Friends , if I'm honest , I wanted to fall and give up , just like all the other times I tried , by myself , to climb , hitting rock bottom . In that moment I started to recite his word With Christ , all things are possible . Then I thought to myself okay , let's move .

The first move was the hardest , as I was exhausted from the energy I expended holding myself suspended on the side of the rock face . I had very little gas left in the tank and to move up I needed to get that right leg back up parallel to my left so I could regain my balance , move forward and pull myself up .

By the grace of God , that leg did come up , after hitting the side of the rock two more times and then , once my feet were firmly planted , a path became clear to me .

I could see how I was going to climb up this slippery and slanted rock face all the way to the top , and I kid you not , the whole time I was climbing I did something different than I have ever done .

All the times before I used the rock to climb up like this , I kept saying over and over all things are possible with Christ , all things are possible with Christ . And like that I had the power not my power , but his power to climb up . Now listen , it was by no means graceful or pretty , but I did get to the top .

I wish I could say I stayed up there for a long time to enjoy the view , but I seriously just wanted to be over this challenge . You know something interesting to note that while I was up there , I happened to notice , as I was reflecting on my climb , that this has been the pattern of my whole life .

When I hit rock bottom , I like to go at it alone or I cave into the pressure of myself or my peers around me . Never before did I ask God for help . So where are you today ? What challenges are you facing ? Who are you listening to ? Have you hit rock bottom ?

Proverbs 3 , 4 through 6 in the KJV says this Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding . In all thy ways , acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path . Friends , he will direct thy path .

If you do what you trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding , you might find yourself at the rock bottom and you simply don't understand why . But here's my advice to you Give yourself permission to simply be okay with I don't know why . Then , when you are ready to climb to the top , use the rock to climb up .

When you hit rock bottom , are you in a place where maybe you can't talk to your friends or family , but you do want to talk to somebody ? Call us at our 24-hour prayer line at 855-822-PRAY . Ready for your Grand Canyon experience A new perspective . Check out our free e-learning courses at sb-universityorg .

It's self-paced and faith-based learning to strengthen the single parent in the overwhelming challenge of raising your family . Have a wonderful week and remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you . Thanks for listening to . It's a single mom thing . I hope you enjoyed our time together .

If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with jesus or need prayer , visit us at wwwshepherdsvillagecom . Backslash prayer . For more information and resources , check out our show notes .