The best life likely improves in a spiral – an upward spiral, that is, as opposed to a downward spiral. For the rest of us, life is a series of climbs interspersed with a series of plateaus. And we waste less energy when we learn to embrace the plateaus of life. The sad thing is that the plateaus may start to feel like that is all there is to life.
Particularly when time on each plateau extends painfully long. It would seem that we are wired to keep moving, preferably upward and forward. Any stop can be frustrating to an individual, making the plateaus of life quite painful. Imagine how frustrating Job’s major plateau must have seemed. But he knew to embrace the plateaus of life and guess what/ He came out on top.
Whenever we arrive at a plateau in life, we fret and if we are very spiritual, we pray. We might even add fasting to our prayer because we want out of there as rapidly as possible. And our pastors encourage such fasting and praying, usually far into the night. They do not teach us to embrace the plateaus of life. Perhaps they need people at their night-vigil programs.
Jesus Knew To Embrace The Plateaus of Life
Only our Lord Jesus taught us, albeit tangentially when He cautioned against worrying. As in, when you are seemingly stagnated on a plateau, worrying will not help move you forward. It might give you a stomach ulcer or a headache or sleepless nights. However, when God brings you to a plateau, worrying will not remove you from there. So, don’t worry, Jesus was saying. Instead, simply learn to embrace the plateaus of life.
Our Lord Jesus had plateaus of His own, like when He was in the wilderness for forty days. Please don’t forget that it was the Holy Spirit, not satan, that took Him there. There was also the six-day period before His transfiguration during which He did nothing. You know that Jesus was on a steady mission and six days of idleness must have seemed like a lifetime.
But, instead of fighting it, Jesus knew to embrace the plateaus of life and accept them as facts of life. If our Master experienced plateaus, why should we expect to avoid plateauing from time to time? And if the Son of God is able to embrace the plateaus of life, why can we not similarly embrace them?
Why Life Must Have Plateaus
Can you imagine not having time to develop? This is not the same as the time to rest, the example of which God gave us at creation. No, we need plateaus for development, defined as maturing, enlargement, or progress. Business owners know that you do not develop at the same time as you are growing.
Pediatricians will tell you that a child has periods of growth and that at the other periods, he is developing. It is the same with our spiritual development. If there were no plateaus, we would grow and grow without any development or maturity.
I hate to think of the number of people in our churches who are like that. Every time there is a new movement, they are at its forefront. Until they find another new church to attend. Paul rightly cautions against such because otherwise, every wind of doctrine will toss us around. That is one great reason we need to embrace the plateaus of life. They are inevitable and extremely needful.
Besides, even in Heaven, there are periods of silence. In Revelation 8.1, we read that there was (utter) silence in heaven for the space of half an hour. As is it in heaven, so it is on earth. Plateaus must come, but blessed is the man who learns to embrace the plateaus of life, deriving their benefits.
The Beauty of Embracing The Plateaus of Life
We now look at some of the benefits of learning to embrace the plateaus of life rather than fighting them. The first one is that you experience spiritual development and are no longer a spiritual child. Don’t even ask me about the number of ‘believers’ who are spiritual children. They run to and from pastors with every storm. We already mentioned this benefit but there are several others.
It is a chance for God Himself to be your teacher as He was for Paul the Apostle. Immediately after his conversion, that man of God spent three years on a plateau with the Holy Spirit of God. It should therefore not surprise you that He wound up writing a large portion of the New Testament. In those three years, Paul learned to embrace the plateaus of life. Someone rightfully referred to them as “Paul’s Three years of preparation.”
Paul was not the only one who prepared and matured on a plateau and in seclusion. Moses spent forty entire years to mature, lose his tendency to anger, and prepare for ministry. It is no surprise that God committed the deliverance of His people into Moses’ hands. He was a man who learned to embrace the plateaus of life.
It took the prodigal son to suffer life for him to come to his senses. You may remember the story. He had collected his inheritance, wasted it, and joined the enemy. But even there, he was experiencing hunger and lack. One day, he decided to embrace the plateaus of life in which he was. Full restoration followed as you may recall.
Power Results
We could go on and on, but we must not end without mentioning King David. He was anointed King but for seven years, he could not enter into his kingship. Those seven years represented a plateau in his life. But because he learned to embrace the plateaus of life, he took over the throne and reigned for a good long time.
Finally, each time Jesus went through a plateau, He came out swinging, so to speak. After the forty days in the wilderness, satan attempted to tempt Him. He of course vanquished the devil. After the six days plateau before the transfiguration, God rewarded Him with the transfiguration
The lesson is quite clear. Learn to embrace the plateaus of life and these benefits can be yours as well. You will become a terror to satan, you will have a ministry, and God will honor you, plus a few others.
Maranatha!
