Look Up

"One thing I ask of the Lord,...that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." -Psalm 26:4


There was a time before having kids that I would head into the mountains to trail run. We had a trail about 15 minutes from our house called Barr Trail and I'd go up there after a day of teaching to unwind after a hard day. When I first moved to Colorado, everything about being on that trail would take my breath away. The tall pine trees, the natural fence that lined the trail, the view of the valley at every switch back, the huge boulders. It was beautiful. I noticed everything and I'd come off the mountain feeling like the cares I carried up the trail were gone by the time I got down. It was there that I felt the closest to God--in the quiet stillness of the outdoors.

I talked with Him every time I was up there. Depending on the day, I told Him my frustrations, I cried tears or on some days I simply praised Him the whole way...whatever it was, I always felt a peace from having spent the time with Him in his beautiful creation.

But like so many things as time goes on, year after year of hiking the same trail, I began to realize something. It was very gradual and I had probably been doing it for quite awhile. But I noticed how fixed I was on the trail. My eyes started focusing on my steps, the rocks in the trail, and as I climbed my thoughts drifted to, "Ugh, this is so hard. I'm so tired. My legs are sore today. How much farther?"

Without thinking about it, I was taking everything that once inspired me for granted and I began to complain and grumble under my breath with each step. One day, in particular, I noticed it. As I came up over a ridge that I had run many times before something inside me made me stop. It was late fall and there was a trace of snow in the trees and my eyes watering from the cold had a crystal clear vision of the most beautiful mountain scape in front of me. I was speechless. And as I stood there, I was overwhelmed by the majesty of God's creation. How had I missed it so many times before? My thoughts drifted through the cold and I started to look at my journey in a whole new way.

Was I missing it?

I love both of my boys to the ends of the earth. That goes without question. But there are days when I run out of things to do with them and I know I have to get dinner ready and they've already watched enough cartoons that I throw my hands in the air and say, "I'm tired. When do I get to rest?" It's not just physical exhaustion, but mental as well. Trying to keep up with requests to do this, get that, play this, can I eat that? It's not until my husband insists on me "getting out" that I have a chance to catch up on any thoughts that I might have aside from the daily demands of mommydom. And even then, sometimes I just drive to the store, do what I need to do and come home. It's just too tiring to try and have any creative thoughts of my own.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm climbing a mountain.

God, help me to look up! Help me to see the beauty that you've put into my life. The blessings that so often I take for granted. You have not changed, You are always here...waiting for us!

Be blessed today. Be encouraged. The journey may be challenging, but the view is breathtaking if we'll only look up.

God,
Fix our eyes on you. Give us a clear picture of your beauty today. And help us to seek You in the climb.
In Your Name we pray,
Amen.