The View from the Top

Yesterday I shared a quote on facebook comparing life to a hike. It basically said that when you climb a mountain, chances are your feet will hurt. You can either choose to complain about your feet hurting or you can sing your way to the top.

Life really is like climbing a mountain. We hear it referred to a lot as "being in the valley" (Yea, though I walk through the valley of the sha. dow of death) and then climbing up (I'm climbing up, Lord... up the mountain...) and finally those mountain top experiences.

And it's true. Some days (weeks, months, years) it seems like we are stuck in the dark valley. The wind blows cold and the fog obscures our path.

And the climb... well, it's no fun, either.

But the view at the top... if we can make it.

Today I hiked to Bad Branch Falls in Letcher County. It's got a longer loop, but we didn't have all day, so we decided to just hike to the falls and back. The sign said it was 1.2 miles to the fall.

And it was pretty much all uphill.

The last quarter of a mile I felt like a billy goat climbing over the rocks...

but I didn't complain. Not once... because it was something that I wanted to see.

I had saw pictures of those falls on the internet and knew it would be awesome... so I climbed.

Granted, I stopped a couple of times to catch my breath...

but the sound of the falls in the distance spurred me on.

And awesome they were... sheer majesty as the water spilled over the rocks. I read somewhere it was a 60 foot cliff facing... I just know that standing in those woods, surrounded by evergreens and jaunty rocks, looking at the power of the water spilling in the creek below, I was reminded of how very small and inconsequential so much is.

I am nothing, really.

But God...

My word of this year is "Seek". The past couple of years I've gotten distracted, and focused more on all those inconsequential things. This year, I want to use "seek" as my lens for life... seeking God first. Seeking HIs Will. Seeking His plan as I "find" myself... in Him. Seeking adventure.

And today, as I ambled through those hills, head down to avoid tripping on the roots, I sought Him in nature. I sought Him in beauty.

The climb was rough... but any journey will be.

My legs are sore tonight, and will probably be more sore tomorrow...

but that's just a sign I was working my muscles.

And as I stood and soaked in the view, I felt more like singing than complaining.

"It is well.  With my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul."

May it be well with yours, too.