Have you ever felt small?
Have you seen the waves crash against the shore or seen the essence of the Milky Way when you looked at the stars? My size, relative to that of the Earth’s wonders, the Earth itself, or the galaxy is extremely minute. It is hard to comprehend how high mountains are. Truly, it is difficult to wrap one’s mind around simply how far they extend into the sky. The highest peak in the continental United States is Mount Rainier, coming in at an astounding 4,395 meters high. I used to be able to see it from my backyard, in all its grandeur as it rose alone from the valley; it's not a part of any range.
Mount Everest is 8,848 meters high, more than twice the size of the Washington volcano. It's part of a stretch of mountains that contains the highest peaks in the world. Recently, I had the remarkable pleasure of viewing Everest from the window of a 16-seater plane; I was rendered speechless. As I sat on that plane, I tried to come up with a way to describe what it is like to see the highest peak in the world. “Awe” came to mind, followed in quick succession by “wonder,” “majestic,” “marvel,” and “inexpressible.” I felt tiny.
How do I describe being above the clouds / seeing the most famous mountain in the world?
Our generation is one of adventure; we are thrill seekers who thrive on adrenaline. We often feel as though we can conquer the world, and believe ourselves immortal. Nature has no mercy for man; it runs its course as it sees fit regardless of our desires. Despite nature’s blatant disregard for humanity’s plans, we continue to seek and conquer and advance. This is what makes us so unique. We are determined beings who stand at the face of mountains and declare that we will ascend them. We look at the night sky and say that we shall walk on the surface of the moon. We stand on shores and believe that we will master the waves. Though I felt small while I looked upon Everest, I realized the feeling will not deter me. I shall still dream big dreams and aspire to greatness, because that is who we are.
It's who we're created to be. We are dreamers. We are creative. We are inspired and inspiring. The Lord made us in his image, and he's all those things too.
