Remarkably, I have been sleeping pretty good during the pandemic. But most mornings when I wake up, I must clarify my focus, adjust my attitude, and dig deep to retrieve my motivation.

At 4:15 this past Monday morning, I awoke like an alarm clock had gone off in my head, and a song was playing involuntarily. The tune and the lyrics by Johnson Oatman, Jr. were both familiar and encouraging:

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

I wish that all mornings began with such a sense of peace. On some mornings during these days I have awakened with a sense of dread and anxiety, not because my faith is weak, but because I am human. Because there is a cloud of uncertainty hovering over our lives due the current pandemic, our cognitive and emotive systems are on high alert. And when we remain on high alert for prolonged periods it tends to deplete our energy and to elevate our anxiety.

So, most mornings, I must pray and sing and think my way into an attitude adjustment in order to counter these feelings of angst, or else my emotional rumblings turn into verbal grumblings. Like the song says, in all kinds of circumstances we must “press on” toward higher ground.

Life is often unfair, mostly unpredictable, and frequently uphill. The adventure requires courage, faith, and determination. During seasons of frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty, we must “press on” toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14):

• When life throws you a curve ball and the unexpected happens, press on.
• When cabin fever sets in and you long to return to the old normal, press on.
• When you are tempted to give up or give in, press on.
• When you have a bad case of the blues or you are suffering deep down depression, press on.
• When you get angry at the incompetence of a colleague or supervisor who just doesn’t get it, press on.
• When you are at the beginning of the treatment regimen, one that suppresses your appetite and oppresses your spirit, press on.
• When you are at the foot of the mountain about to begin the uphill journey of recovery, press on.
• When tension rises within your family because you are spending so much time together, press on.
• When you are tempted to settle for mediocrity as you work from home, press on.
• When death or disease takes away someone you love, in the power of the Spirit, press on.
• When you are grateful for virtual church, but you can’t wait to get back to actual church, press on.

The old normal is gone. The current normal is temporary. A new normal is coming. Putting the past behind us and the future before us, let us press on!

In the wee hours Monday morning, the second verse of that great hymn became my prayer:

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

May the Lord plant our feet, our faith, our attitude, and our motivation on higher ground!

(Barry Howard serves as the pastor at the Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta. He also serves as a leadership coach and columnist with the Center for Healthy Churches.)