As I sat in a boat, being shown the lake in it’s entirety I was intrigued by how beautiful yet asymmetrical were the mountains surrounding it. As a lover of symmetry, I kept thinking how perfect they were in their imperfection.
Our daughter has been painting mountains this summer (@rangaart) and I love how in each painting it is the colours of the lower ranges that accentuate the grandeur of the mountain’s heights.
The mountain tops are beautiful because of
the lower ranges and the valleys below them.
I know from experiences hiking up mountains, that I need to climb with my eyes focused either on where I am presently (ie. focused on each step) or where I am going. My eyes do not look back down the mountain until I reach the destination, the summit. It is then that I can look down and appreciate from where I have come, the efforts to get where I am and breath in the accomplishment of my efforts.
Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascent in the Bible. It was written to be sung as one were to climb to Jerusalem.
Like my own hiking experience, it begins with the words “I lift my eyes to the mountains.” The Psalmist had obviously climbed to a summit before, for he knew that he needed to focus on where he was going.
The passage continues with “where does my help come from?” Not only did he know where he was heading, but why … his eyes were not on the destination, but on who would help him make it to his destination.
Our lives are made up of hills and valleys, and, like the mountain ranges, no two are the same. As we pursue these times in our lives we need to keep our eyes focused on the one, on God, who will will keep our steps steady, who watches over us, who protects us.
As the phrase says, keep your eyes on the prize … but the prize is not the destination, the prize is the help for the journey.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.”
itsawonderfilledlife 