I will climb this mountain...with my hands wide open

:: Last week when I was in Greece I decided to hike a mountain...in keds (best bad decision of my life) Hiking a mountain is fun but it is no easy task. When we got to the “top” there were still maybe 500 meters to the highest peak. Naturally, a few of us decided to go up to watch the sunset. The way up was rough and it seemed that we were going away from the sunset and really not towards the direction we needed to go at all. Edmond, our Greek guide, ensured us that we just needed to trust him and follow. So we did. With a look of unbelief on my face, I took on the task, one boulder at a time, rocks poking my feet the whole way up from lack of proper shoes. When we finally reached the top, we couldn’t see a dang thing. It was cloudy and the mist made it impossible to see further than 20 meters into the distance. 

:: So there I was, I had just spent the better part of my day climbing to the highest point of this island to sit in a cloud. I laughed and thought about the irony of the moment. This past year has felt like a continual uphill climb (good. but hard). The past months I have been on the plateau near the top and and recently, you could say I have “reached the top”…the decisions have been made and there’s nowhere else to go for now. But even at the top, the view can be misty. The uphill journey may be done (for now) but what remains is not always a beautiful panorama. Sometimes, we have to wait for the clouds to clear and we have to wait for the night to become morning before we get to see the beauty of the sunrise and take in the breadth of the big picture.

:: Despite the lack of vision, one thing that can be enjoyed from the top is the accomplishment of the climb. While up on the top of Ypsario, I was able to sneak away with a handful of local olives and spend some sweet time talking to Jesus. His peace is overwhelming and in that moment I was reminded that He is good and his timing is effect and his faithfulness never fails us. 

:: This song has been my anthem lately and having this revelation has made it come to life so much more. I love how God does that…gives us something that He makes sense out of later.