Do you know where you are?

We can’t see the magnitude of where we are when we are in the middle of it!

This past week I had the privilege of hiking on Mt. St. Helens.

1.     I am not a hiker.

2.    Never have I considered myself an “outdoorsy” person . . .  but in this second phase of life, I seem to see things much differently than I ever have before.

Thus, when Tom asked, “Would you want to go to Mt. St. Helens?” “Sure!” was my answer. Little did I know that everyone else there would be properly attired, with correct shoes and even cool little “sticks” to help them walk the course! My shoes were going to have to do!! In all truth, I was excited about what this hike would bring!

As we rounded a corner in the car, there it was!

Absolutely beautiful!!!!! So big . . . . so majestic.

Then, to learn of the story, how it erupted and blew off literally a “side” of the mountain . . . killing over 50 people and destroying over 250 square miles of land. The story itself was one that caused you to “stop” and take notice of the power of nature.

Seeing it, hiking it . . . both were game-changers and significant moments of worship. Times of absolute connection with The Divine. So many spiritual truths came to light in those moments on that mountain.

An interesting thing to note, however, was that the mountain loomed ahead of us while we were driving there! So big . . . so bold . . . so massive. It took your breath away!

Yet, after a few turns, it was as if we couldn’t find the mountain.

“Where did it go?”

“How can we LOSE Mt. St. Helens?”

Tom’s reply was simply, “We are on it!”

It was as if suddenly, we went from seeing it as a bystander to being on it.

I wonder if when Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving God’s commandments, he knew, “THIS IS IT!!!! This is MY MOMENT!”

Most likely, even though he knew it was important, it wasn’t until after he’d experienced it, processed it, and started to live out the responsibility that came with “receiving” it that he knew the power of being ON that mountain.

Far too often in life, we miss amazing, momentous moments because we can’t “see” that we are where we are.

We keep thinking there is somewhere else we need to be.

May this weekend, as Bash looms ahead on Saturday and Sunday, is a “No Huddles Day,” with the message being online at 9 am and in-person being a missional activity. May we all be mindful of “where we stand.”

Do we see that we are on the mountain? Do we see that we are surrounded by the power and peace that we need to step into each day?

I do believe for EACH of us when it is all said and done, and we move from one realm to the other, we will each have a glimpse of our “lives,” and we will see that we spent far more time on the top of the mountain than we ever imagined! May we each be mindful that we can’t really “see” where we are in the middle of it! And may God grant us the courage to approach all things with an attitude of learning and transformation.