This writer has been in this area for nearly six years having moved, physically along with this ministry, from the State of Florida in October of 2010. We are located just east of Interstate 26, at a point about 10 miles from the Tennessee state line.
The highway that connects us to the Interstate is US 19 that transverses a number of states on its path from just south of St. Petersburg, FL to Eire, PA. The NC stretch cuts across the Northwestern corner of the state.
Travelers, mainly truckers, use this portion of the road to by-pass the traffic around Asheville and the steep grades found there, on their way to Interstate 40. Our portion of US 19 takes a path from Burnsville to Spruce Pine, where the traffic changes to US 226 south to Marion, where it joins Interstate 40. The piece from Spruce Pine to Marion does have a steep grade but it is around one mile in length, much less than the Asheville route.
So, because of the heavy traffic, a number of years ago the Highway Department decided to make US 19 all four lane from I26 to Spruce Pine. This is a stretch of less than 30 miles, not a big project, you say? Well, this 30 mile construction effort includes a number of steep, winding sections that required leveling mountains, diverting streams and rivers, installing a number of bridges, etc. – a massive undertaking.
Roughly half of the project is finished and the last section that is being work at the time of this writing should be finished by 2019.
As we residents of the affected area watch the progress we see the monumental work that is required. Giant earth-moving equipment nibbles away hills and mountains and carries that dirt to fill in low lying areas. What appears as a slow moving job is balanced by realizing how big a job it is.
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God has a “construction company” that can do these things and more. In 1 Corinthians 13:2, following the discourse regarding the gifts of the Spirit (tools for witnessing), Paul alludes to the fact that, if we have faith, WE can move mountains!
God can move any mountain just by the word of His mouth. But, He reminds us that we can do the same IF we use our faith. Obviously the mountains that are being referenced are “spiritual” ones; things that tend to be road blocks that side-track us in our daily life. Most people, even those who have read this Scripture, tend to just keep on reading, not fully understanding what he is talking about, the power it contains.
The exercise of one’s faith requires some effort, but anything that is worth having is worth working toward. This requires studying God’s Word and, as you “grow” your faith will as well. There is no “magic bullet” to all this – just study to show yourself approved. In the meantime you just may have to temporarily use a bulldozer to work on your mountain!