I lift my eyes (and my skis) to the mountains!
I starting dating Bill when I was 18 and by the time I turned 19 he was already teaching me how to ski. It was a STEEP learning curve for a gal like me who never played sports or did outdoorsy stuff as a kid. In fact, I barely even played outside growing up in the Hollywood Hills! So the idea of hopping on a chairlift, shivering in the cold, dangling 50 feet in the air and whizzing down a snow-covered slope while trying to control these enormous sticks strapped to my feet seemed pretty crazy.
Then came the fears…what if I fall off the chair? What if I ski off a cliff? What if I slam into a tree? It took me years to get my “snow legs,” but over time, with some persistence on my part and a lot of patience on Bill’s part, I actually grew to love it, and now it’s one of my favorite outdoor activities! In fact, I just got a new pair of skis, so I guess I’m in it for the long haul!
Last month, Bill and I were blessed to spend a week in Mammoth and it was glorious. Something about escaping to the mountains in the midst of a pandemic-driven lockdown spells freedom! But beyond mere liberation from the day-to-day routine, I always feel so close to God in the mountains. I look around and I see His handiwork everywhere, and I can’t help but give Him thanks and praise for the beauty of His creation.
I also thank Him for being the source of my strength. I love Psalm 121, which begins, “I lift my eyes toward the mountains - from whence shall come my help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” In times of distress, we have only one place to look (up), just one viable option that will never fail us: Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord! “He will not allow your foot to slip...the Lord is your guardian...”
Friends, we have a mighty God whom we can bank on, who is with us 24/7 and will never leave us nor forsake us. This is huge given the uncertain times we’re living through. No one knows what the future holds, but we do know who will be holding us in the future: Almighty God, who made heaven and earth!
