The vision of that stump being in the back of my truck, kept me going. I believed it would happen. I had to be passionate about it, however, because it was not going to be easy. I knocked a bunch of dirt off of it to take some of the weight off. I could just barely move it. Then, I knocked some more dirt off. I could get under one side, but I was then able to stand it up on its side by attaching a strap to it and pulling it with my truck.

Then I had a thought. If I needed the truck to stand it up, how was I going to be able to put it in the truck by hand? By this point I'm getting dirty and sweating quite a bit. My heart is pumping pretty good. I realize I need to knock some more dirt off. The stump had about 2 million small roots that made this very difficult. If it weren't for my vision and passion, I would have quit. After about another hour of poking and knocking dirt off, I was finally able to move that stump. I rolled it down into my truck. The most encouraging moment is what I call the "tipping point." That is when you muscle something up just past half way, and then gravity takes over and you know you're going to be able to do it.

Our passion keeps us going!

All of this made me think about ministry. Many times the Lord gives us a vision for something, but initially it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. In the middle of our efforts, we run into problems and are tempted to give up. Realizing that the vision is from God, our passion keeps us going. Then we get to the tipping point, and we have the joy of seeing that what the Lord has called us to do is really going to happen!

I believe that the Lord still wants to show us things he wants us to accomplish to His glory:

Then the LORD answered me and said:
"Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it" (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV).

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian Today's challenges and pressures can make a fulfilling marriage seem like an impossible dream. Stormie Omartian shares how God has strengthened her own marriage since she began to pray for her husband concerning key areas of his life.

Mike is a pastor and writer for a number of online publications.

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