My Happy Place

"Tonight was ultimate peace with the Alps in all directions. Somehow, each day brings a new wonder that I cannot believe. I am challenged beyond my limits, but the peace that comes afterword is perfection." -July 12, 2010: Upward Bound Day 9

The day had been a very long, hot and difficult one for me due to an empty water bottle paired with a steep push to our final destination. This picture was taken that evening after our dinner of sauerkraut and dumplings and in that moment I was filled with peace and wonder. Peace of mind because I had accomplished much on this day. I had hiked quite far with a pack on my back for the first time since I was eight and now here I sat in the middle of the Alps staring at the massive mountain range. But more than peace of mind, I was completely struck by the enormity of this world. This wasn't the first time I had this revelation and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

I was found in this happy place so many times while in Austria. It's a place where I can see the vastness of the world and within that I am able to see the glory of God. Something so often discussed was the difficulty with loving an intangible God. How is it that we can love and believe in a God that we cannot see or hear or touch? Well, moments like this one demand for that question to be rephrased because we can see God. He is in the world that He created and we can see Him everywhere. We see Him in the mountains and in the stars. We hear Him in the birds and the howling wind. We can smell Him in the hot pine needles and the fresh rain. We can taste Him in the fresh berries and the clear water. We can feel Him as our hands scale rocks and as cold snow falls into our boots. HE IS EVERYWHERE.

My father gave a sermon on Sunday that completely summed up my feelings about Austria. The sermon considered the power of beauty. Beauty has the power to transform us into someone new. It has the power to hurt, but also the power to heal. The power to move forward or the power to take a step back. As I sat on the rock you see in the photo, all the troubles of the world seemed to melt away. I was completely captured by the immense beauty of our world as the clouds weaved through the valley. I knew deep down in my heart that Seattle and Iraq and the Gulf of Mexico were all out there somewhere, but right there, in that moment, all I could see was mountains. All I could feel was peace. All I could think was how great is our God.

This picture now sits on my desktop at work and I stare at it every once in a while. I don't do it to make me sad and wish that I were not in an office, but rather in the Alps. It is simply a reminder that God is good and that I can always feel His presence in my life. He is not an intangible God and that is something I firmly believe. So long as we believe and trust in Him, we will be able to taste and see that the Lord is good!