Well, my time here in Colorado is coming to an end. Why do the mountains change my perspective and renew my hope? I think it’s the vast mountain range that reminds me that God is big; that His majesty is something to be in awe of.
I lived here in Colorado for three years and never appreciated the mountains. Today I pulled over and just looked at the mountains. I sat in awe at the majesty of the snow covered range, of the low clouds that had shielded the scene just hours before. Maybe life is like this, that perspective always gives way to appreciation in new ways. That maybe we can’t fully appreciate the season we’re in until it’s passed. It’s easy to go through the motions of the day and not really appreciate the people around us, the experiences and opportunities that we’re given in this moment. But when we reminisce, when we look back, we see things through a different lens.
And so it begs the question, how can I fully appreciate the season I’m in now, with the people and experiences I’m currently in the midst of? I think that’s the hardest thing about the season I’m in right now. It’s easy to see the road ahead or the path that I’ve just traveled through. But to really see what is under my feet at this moment is sometimes too much. It can be confusing and weird. And to be really honest, we’re all in the same boat. We get glimpses of the sweetness of life in the “now” but all we are ever doing is living in the hopes of the future... or in the memories of the past. We take for granted our people and we walk like zombies through the experiences that we’re in the middle of. We forget to pull over and see the mountains, to really see them.
Sometimes God takes us to the mountain top or the valley to show us how to appreciate the trail we are on. For me, God’s been bringing me to the mountains to remind me of what I’ve been through and what I’m currently in the middle of.
Yesterday I was working on some long term plans. I had opened a new Pages document and started working out this great plan. It was good. I had things all worked out in how I would plan out the next several years.
And then Pages crashed. Document gone. Plans gone.
I’ll take this one as a reminder that God is in control and I am not. I had just gotten done reading Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
Geez.You’d think I’d learn...
But really, what’s the line between making plans and trusting God? Can we really sit back and not make plans and hope that God moves us along in our journey? Isn’t there something about being responsible to make plans? The answer is yes. But in this case, I hadn’t committed my plans to the Lord. I had made them on my own with my own intentions. So I guess Proverbs 16:3 works here: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” --not my plans, but His.
Lesson learned. (but I’m sure God will continue to remind me of this).
I brought a few of my favorite books to Colorado. One that I’ve been reading this week is “Bittersweet” by Shauna Niequist. I’ve been living in this quote from a chapter about learning to swim in the midst of storms of our lives.
“If you dig in and fight the changes, they will smash you to bits. They’ll hold you under, drag you across the rough sand, scare and confuse you. But if you can find it within yourself, in the wildest of seasons, just for a moment, to trust in the goodness of God, who made it all and holds it all together, you’ll find yourself drawn along to a whole new place, and there’s truly nothing sweeter. Unclench your fists, unlock your knees and also the door to your heart, take a deep breath, and begin to swim. Begin to let the waves do their work in you.”
And yet again, Ben Rector’s song “The Sophomore” reminds me of perspective.
“And you find you’re holding on to everything you know, but the strength to move beyond is found in letting go.... there’s so much I don’t know.”
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