Friday, December 28, 2007

Colorado Mountains and a Couch with No View

Where does God meet us?

We headed to the Colorado Front Range in hopes of finding a respite from our grief and to meet our God in the beautiful majestic surroundings. We were familiar with this kind of retreat. We had many such retreats when living in Denver - but that was before kids. Our first 2 days of this "vacation" were filled with frustration and arguments. Here we were at the foot of the Rockies, with 2 toddlers who cared more about playgrounds and Dora videos than taking in the vistas from high mountain roads. Where was my respite - my life had followed me into the mountains and, in my opinion, was interrupting my opportunity to meet with the Lord and be healed.

But on day 3 - I abandoned my vacation ambitions and returned to my normal routine: spending time journaling, reading and praying during the girls afternoon nap time. I sat on the couch of our hotel room, drapes drawn shut to keep out the bright sun allowing the girls to rest. Here I was, sitting on a hard couch with no view, and here the Lord met me. These 2 hours were the richest I have known since Lia's passing. I was not on a mountain top, I couldn't even see a mountain. The Lord did not meet me on the mountain top - instead He came to me in my place - quietly enjoying the solitude of afternoon naptime.

The Lord is merciful! He does not demand that we attend a retreat at a beautiful resort to meet Him. Instead, He comes to us. He has been doing this all along. When Jesus came to earth, he did not convene a conference on spiritual and physical healing at a resort on the Mediteranean coast. Instead, He walked among the people, meeting them in their towns, in their homes, at their jobs. God in His mercy allows us to experience Him exactly where we are.

God does sometimes draw us to the mountain tops to meet Him. He went to Moses in the desert of Midian and then later called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai. There are times in life when God does need us to rise above our roles and places and calls us to meet Him in a higher place.

For me, the higher place occured 2 days later from the 7th floor of a hotel overlooking the front range. God provided a wonderful elegant hotel room for our last night in Colorado. I sat on the wide windowsill, hidden from my kids view by the thick hotel drapes, and took in the beautiful sunset. God did call me to the "mountaintop" where I was able to see Him in His majestic creation, but only after I accepted and understood that God first and foremost is able to meet us in the low places of our existance.

1 comment:

mamalindak said...

I too love the mountains and am so drawn to them. I love the redwoods, the ocean, the times when creation so obviously reflects the majesty of the creator. The Lord is good to all. His mercy is beyond comprehension. He has compassion on all He has made. All He has made will praise Him! (love, Linda)