the view from the top

a good friend of mine is on a vacation this week in rural VA, and as part of his "relaxation" he hiked Harper's Ferry. last year, he hiked the first 'ridge' of sorts, which is about a mile long...this year, he hiked to the top, a rocky, treacherous trail that is 3 miles in all. not exactly Mt. Everest, but his own version of mountain-climbing, getting in touch with his outdoorsy side...hrumph, i'll pass.


i have no interest in climbing mountains, not real ones anyway. i'm much more comfortable being the spotter at the bottom, waiting for the climber to go up and return safely, while being on guard for, God forbid, something going wrong.... and me needing to start praying to Jesus, Mary, and all the saints for my cell phone to get a signal.


though i'll probably never make it to the top of a mountain, i've climbed many of my own spiritual mountains in this journey called life. i thought about that this morning as i was driving to The Plantation...i was getting my praise-and-worship on (gotta get that mind right!) and one of my favorite songs came on--For Every Mountain. i remember the first time i heard the song at TUCC--that was a true Holy Ghost experience....

for every mountain

You've brought me over

for every trial

You've seen me through

for every blessing

hallelujah

for this, i give You praise

every time i hear the song now, no matter what--it has the same effect on me. my mind starts to race as i think back on my mountains (whew--there have been some BIG ones)...and how He has carried me through...and i am overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion, which for me, manifests itself in tears and shouts.

i never thought that i would get to the place where i would thank God for both the good AND the trying times. it seems almost counter-intuitive-- atleast for the spiritually immature--to thank God for the very things that pain us, hurt us, and threaten to break us apart. but without those mountains, those rocky trails, we wouldn't have the view from the top--the breathtaking view of God's beautiful creation, surrounding us on all sides. we wouldn't have that feeling of catching our breath in wonder and amazement at the beauty that is all around us everyday.

so, thank You God...thank You for Harper's Ferry...thank You for Mt. St. Helens...thank You for Kilimanjaro....thank You for Everest..

.

thank You for the view....