Thoughts from the Mountain
Yesterday was our weekly adventure day and we climbed a mountain. This wasn’t a normal “go for a hike” ordeal, this was a “probably should have used safety gear” ordeal.
True to form for the arid Peruvian desert, we trekked the barren rocks and sand dunes for a couple miles then began the ascent. We came to an impasse blocked by a steep and smooth rock cliff and we had no choice but to ascend it. That was hard, really hard. Clinging to the scarce fingerhold, my teammate and I worked to help others up the face of the rock.
As my head rose above the rock, a wide plateau of beautiful and foreign plants and flowers flooded my view. We were now above the cloud line and the moisture from the constant clouds allowed the most beautiful foliage I’d ever seen to cover the mountain. As a hummingbird went buzzing by to join its friends at a patch of red desert flowers, I felt like I had just stepped into heaven.
Looking up, I saw the remainder of the mountain rising above me. This beauty was just the beginning! We were only ¾ of the way to the top and the last ¼ teemed with life!
Slowly but surely, we made our way to the very top, and as we sat upon the peak, our legs dangling over a 1000+ foot drop, I marveled in awe of God’s creation.
God made all this….for me! The previous morning in my quiet time, I had heard God say “I will show you the mountains and the oceans”. I sat on the mountain looking out across the desert and dunes, the cars looking like ants in the distance. Around me was the most beautiful plethora of colorful foreign plants with the clouds flowing slowly across the rocks. Behind me, in the distance, I could see the coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
God created this for me. At the beginning of the world, God planned out His incredible creation with the intent of filling His bride-to-be with awe. Every hummingbird that flitted past, every wisp of cloud and petal of every flower is a sign of His love for me. The grandeur of the rocks, the awe of the mountain, the crispness of the air and the warmth of the occasional sunshine is all God’s embrace and expression of His love.
