I just spent four delightful days with my mother in Wyoming –eating a flaky quiche at Lander Bakery, ordering a new skirt off of QVC, and wandering unhurried through Hello The House, which is one of those surprisingly amazing stores tucked into the quiet main street of a town of 7,000.

But the sweet time ended, and Matt and I arrived back to Real Life after a 12-hour drive.

There was a moment in the kitchen when I contemplated hyperventilating over the week to come. Not only was I heading back to school, but it was also my week to teach the large group times in Awana, and the next night I was hosting a ladies’ get together.

And then there was the fact that we had binge-watched HGTV at my mom’s, so I also felt like I should redecorate my entire house.

But maybe that could wait.

Back to the idea of hyperventilating. I looked at the mountainous week to come and thought, No way. Not even possible. So there was the option of full-blown panic, total hopelessness, and shoulder-scrunching anxiety –you know, the usual.

Or.

I could look to God as Magnificent Sherpa, and I say that with reverence.

When I think of the Sherpa, I picture people who are acclimated to the extreme climate, altitude, and rigorous climbs of some of the highest mountains in the world -people who know the way and can get you to the summit, while helping you carry your load.

So hey, I chose option B. Choosing one of my larger Post-it notes, I wrote down the impossible to-do list. Sticking it to my calendar, I confessed to the Lord my feelings of weakness and inability to pull off all of those activities. Then I told God I was completely trusting him to help me conquer the impossible.

A miracle happened after that: I went to bed and slept like a baby for eight hours.

When I woke up the next morning at 5:15, I rolled up my sleeves and started plugging away at all that needed to be done. No anxiety. No hyperventilating. For sure I dropped into bed exhausted at the end of the day, but it’s not so bad to take on a steep climb, if you have hope of planting your flag at the summit.

King David sings these words to the LORD:

With your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

(Psalm 18:29 NIV)

Don’t you think that more often than not the coming week feels nearly impossible? But soak in the repeated phrase in David’s psalm:

With you I can.

With you I can.

So I pray for you today, that you will die to your own self sufficiency and turn your to-do list over to the strong shoulders of the Lord. May you be filled with hope that, with God’s help, you can scale whatever wall stands in front of you.