During a fun day in the classroom, I kept thinking to myself, "Was it just a dream that I was in the cool, colorful, beautiful mountains of Colorado just yesterday?" The miracle of flight completely astounds me! (I could write a whole post on the experience and luxury of air travel, including early morning/late night hours spent people watching in the terminal where thousands of heads are bowed down to cellular devices.) After an uneventful arrival last night, one of my sweet students greeted me this morning with a question that melted me: "Mrs. Oliphint, what did you see in Colorado?" When I mentioned the colorful leaves, the mountains, a waterfall, and the valley she followed up with additional interest beyond her 5 years, "Did you see any rivers?" I love my job!!!
This lovely weekend included three of my very favorite things in life: my Mom, Crested Butte and hiking. I am SO very thankful for the blessing of time together while also enjoying the beauty of golden hiking trails in Crested Butte. To keep from stumbling along the mountain path, I spent a good bit of time with my eyes tuned into the uneven rocky soil, often missing the glorious beauty surrounding me. I kept reminding myself to pause, look up and take a photo in the midst the (sometimes exhausting) trail. Some of the most beautiful images were directly above my head.
At the end of our first day together and after a delicious meal with a friend, Mom and I walked her dogs after dark. Once again, the desire to look up was overwhelming. A crisp fall night in the mountains included a display of stars unlike any other. Millions of stars shined brightly in the blackest of black skies. I was stunned with thanksgiving to God for his greatness and majesty as I considered the vastness of his creation and the smallness of creatures like me. These reminders to look up are symbolic of the lessons I am learning throughout life. In the midst of uneven and challenging circumstances, I have to remind myself to look up and to trust in the Lord in the daily details of life. Similar to the glorious beauty above my head while surrounded by an aspen grove or a starlit sky, the greatness, goodness and glory of the Lord is there to behold when I raise my gaze to him. Similar to the hiking trail, my tendency is to keep my focus on things below and to navigate this world with careful steps. However, I'm confident that joy and peace in Christ comes only from looking up to him and to his kingdom.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you." Isaiah 60:1-4
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