There is a certain moment in the midst of experiencing the beauty of mountains that your whole life seems to be put in perspective. Maybe it's the altitude or the fresh air or probably just the overwhelming grandeur of rocky peaks rising above you. Here in the mountains, my life is rendered insignificant and every fear and trouble seems to matter less. Here among the lakes and the boulder piles, I’m confronted at every turn by the vastness of God and the small existence I occupy in His creation. Here beside the crashing water and tall cliffs, God is overwhelming and God is intimate.
Now I don’t think I can spin a blog entry about my trip to Grand Teton National Park into some consistent, streamlined story about the nature of God. It wasn’t a simple trip or an easy one necessarily. But after returning to the cacophony of everyday life and feeling the pull of my varied commitments, I’m trying to remember how small and insignificant my life felt as I laid on a rock, looking over an emerald lake at the top of a mountain. Because up there I felt an indescribable peace that my heart can’t find right now.
My vacation to the Grand Tetons with framily consisted of flights to and from Colorado, a couple 7 hour drives, lots of hiking, conversing, eating, farting, videoing, and laughing. Although it was refreshing to get away from the weekly routine of my summer, this vacation didn’t seem to make any of my problems seem farther away. I guess they were so stuck in my head that I brought them with me. With time to finally slow down, every question and struggle I have was processed to a backdrop of beautiful sunsets and iconic mountains. Am I enjoying my life? Are my friendships what I want them to be right now? Could I be alone and happy? How do I move on from the past? Am I truly entrusting my future to God? Am I really giving my best in everything I’m doing? Typical Daniel questions. These questions all remain back at home, so I’m once again trying to hold on to the sense of clarity that came and left with the mountains.
I guess it wasn’t that my problems seemed smaller, but it was so much easier to see that God is bigger. I still sometimes wish I could trade the present for times in the past. I still miss my friends. I still struggle to stay encouraged and driven. But the mountains showed me that God is bigger. God is capable. God is meticulous. God is powerful. God holds me and every weight on my heart in His loving hands.
He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.
Amos 4:13