needless to say, over the last two years, my physical fitness level has…well…plummeted would probably be a good word to describe it. so when the women of team sozo presented the idea of “climbing a mountain” i wasn’t quite sure how to react. but one of the things i’ve come to love isthe outdoors. the freshness. the realness. the creativity behind it all. the beauty. the serenity. the plan and the way it all seems to come together. i feel closer to God when i’m outside for some reason now. so even though the verb “climb” made me a teensy bit nervous, i couldn’t help but get excited when i set out to tackle a mountain with these mighty women [and garrett, our lone man this week].
turns out, “mountain” may have been an understatement. and “climb” may not have been the most accurate of word choices either. as we all gingerly hiked up the slightly elevated hill [“like billy goats” according to brooke], i continued to get more and more excited. the higher we “climbed” the more of the surrounding area we could see. and let me tell you, there was a lot to see. if i remember anything from my last two times through bulgaria it’s that it is gorgeous. the mountains and quaint villages are beautiful, even when riding through on a bus. so from a “mountaintop”, it’s absolutely breathtaking.
walk to our “mountain” [photo by olivia haughey]
as we reached the top, and i glanced around, a song began to play in my head:
and You said,
‘come up here, come up now,
my beloved
my beloved.
come up here, come up now,
my beloved
my beloved’
the words repeated over and over as i just sat there, overlooking so much of His creation. and i couldn’t help but feel He had been calling me to even more heights than i realize. looking down from that point, i could only imagine seeing my child down there, calling them to come up to the high places i had created for them, and yet them being too fearful to climb up. it broke my heart. God has given me a great inheritance as His daughter. but how much of it have i actually claimed as mine? how much of it have i received and accepted? how much higher is He calling me, but i’m too afraid of falling or feel too unworthy to climb up and scan the lands with Him?
about that time a bird flew by off in the distance. i laughed out loud as i realized i was actually seated higher than where the bird was flying. this is where i should always be. how often do i look up at the birds and think ‘wouldn’t it be great to fly, to soar way up there’ when all along that’s what He’s created me to be doing…
our view from the top [photo from olivia haughey]
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9
the rest of the song began to play in my head (my mind works in movie-like soundtracks most of the time):
and i said,
‘i want to fly, o Lord,
like an eagle in the sky
i want to fly, o Lord,
through that doorway in the sky’
i refuse to settle for anything less than what God has for me anymore. i’ve realized it isn’t arrogance or pride to claim these things; it’s walking in my true worth and identity as a daughter of The King and member of a royal priesthood. He’s calling me to the heights, to higher places than i can even see right now. but as i climb to the top of one peak, there will be an even higher one off in the distance. my view will be multiplied and i’ll gain more and more understanding of what my inheritance really is, what He has entrusted me with, and what He is calling me to walk in.
here i come, o Lord
here i come, o Lord
as we walked back to the house i pointed up at the ginormous mountains ahead of us, and asked why the very top of the peaks were a different color. everyone said it must be the sun or a shadow. but the sun was set now and in an entirely different position than when i first noticed the illuminated peaks. i realized what God was saying and i chose in that moment to accept His call to higher places and bigger things. “those are mine by the way,” i said and pointed at the top peaks. “what are yours?” someone replied. “the high places over there; they’re mine.”
I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. Habakkuk
3:18-19
song lyrics are from jason upton’s “come up here”
