Have you ever laid on your back facing upwards at the bottom of the Washington Monument in D.C.? If you have, then you know that it seems to sway, but in actuality the monument does not sway at all due to its firm, stone structure. As I began to think about the task that we face, I thought about a lesson from God, that everyone—especially college students—need to hear.

Sometimes as Christians we go through periods of “I don't want to, but I will just because I know I have to,” and dolefully this oftentimes resonates in our spiritual lives. So often we “don’t want to go to Church, but we feel like we have to” or we “don’t want to live how God wants us to, but we feel like we have to.” On countless occasions we look up at God and he seems to be “swaying” like the Washington Monument, but this is because we never want to admit that we are the ones who walked away from God. We at no time want to admit wrong, selfishness, or sin, so we aren't swaying, God is, right?

This question that seems rhetorical is sorrowfully one that we internally ask ourselves over and over as we question God’s inherent, perfect timing. We frequently pray for God to lead us where He wants us to go, He opens the door, we peek inside, see all the mountains we must climb to get to our destination, and say “sorry God, but look at this other door. It has flat ground and will lead me where you want so much quicker. After all, I know better than you, God.” Little do we know that around the corner of that door lies snares and traps waiting to bring us down to our knees, where we will say “God, why did you do this to me?”

You see, so often we view God as the Washington Monument. We view Him as this great, harsh God that sways depending on our obedience, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. We should view our God like the Washington Monument but in a different light. We should see a God towering over us, protecting us, sheltering us, and not wavering from us due to the stone foundation He is and has set for His people. Our God is Omnipotent, powerful, and awe-inspiring, but we take this for granted on numerous occasions.

Instead of seeing our God as a towering fortress, we often see our obstacles as such. As sinful people, we question God’s ability to know what is best for us and decide that our way is the most desirable and fitting route. Far too often we forget that if God brought us to it, He will bring us through it. “God will never give us more than we can handle,” (1 Corinthians 10:13) and will be “my rock, my fortress, and my Savior,” (Psalm 18:2).

When you come to the foot of that “mountain” that God has brought you to, know that if you couldn't do whatever was on the other side, you wouldn't be there. Sometimes we use our past and the “cards we were dealt” as an excuse to not do something, but God wants you to use the story He gave you to glorify Him as you journey that mountain. We have to let go and let God. We have to realize that if God brought us to it, He will without a doubt bring us through it.