“I belong in a place where there are mountains.” I am sure my friends are tired of hearing
me make this statement. This isn’t a new
revelation for me, but I woke up this morning with a longing for the mountains,
and a message about the “flat land” I’m in right now.
As a kid, I grew up camping in the Green Mountains of
Vermont with my family. Daily hikes in
the woods to lakes tucked away in the hills and cliffs overlooking the gorgeous
scenery were just a part of my summer every year. Every 4th of July, we would camp
at this same place on Lake Dunmore, and stare up at the “beast” the locals
called Rattlesnake Point. As a little
girl, I couldn’t wait for the day I was big enough to climb that peak. Once I was about 8 years old, I started
climbing this peak every year with my dad.
I felt so proud of myself when I made it to the top without complaining
or losing my water bottle. And the first
time I saw a view from the highest point I’d ever hiked, I think I fell in love
with hiking mountains.
When I went off to college, I had a choice between two great
schools that offered my degree program.
They were both equal in student enrollment, campus-size, and quality of
education. Both were “out of state”
state schools for me. One was in the
heart of Connecticut, pretty close to Hartford, and the other, in a classic New
England town tucked away in the mountains of New Hampshire. Obviously I chose the latter.
About 20 miles from my college town was a large mountain
peak called Mount Monadnock. It’s known
for being one of the most climbed peaks this side of the Mississippi. It was almost a rite of passage for Keene
State students to climb that peak every year.
And once at the top? Breathtaking
views of all the surrounding towns and mountain ranges. Jordan even proposed to me on this
mountaintop in 2007!
After we got married in 2009, Jordan joined the Air Force,
which took us to our first duty-station in Omaha, NE. No mountains.
Anywhere. For nearly 1,000
miles. They have these elevated pieces
of land Midwesterners like to call “bluffs,” but let’s face it, they’re mole
hills.
Two years later, we reached our ultimate mountain-top
experience. We were stationed in
Anchorage, AK, a city that is surrounded by 5,000 foot mountains in every
direction! I could go for a hike on a
myriad of trails in just under a 20-minute drive from my house to the
trailheads. And when I wasn’t hiking
them, I was driving towards them in the city, or staring at them through the
window at my dentist’s office, or watching the “termination dust” slowly creep
down their peaks, letting us know winter was coming soon. The Chugach Mountain Range in Alaska is
simply majestic. The first person to use “majestic” as an
adjective for mountains must have
visited this beautiful state.
But in this place, it wasn’t just the fact that there were
mountains to be climbed and admired. It
was the people that the mountains drew to this area. “Mountain people” are a breed of their
own. They care a little less about
fashion trends, and little more about practicality. They place outdoor recreation over any series
on Netflix. They go for hikes that last
for days, or strap on their boots for a short trail after work. They’re flexible, because when it’s a nice
day in Alaska, it’s a day to be seized outdoors, regardless of deadlines and
meetings. Physical comfort takes a backseat
to beautiful views and the feeling you get when you’ve peaked 3500 ft.
or reached some far-off lake in the valleys.
Peeing in the wilderness and startling encounters with large wildlife
like moose and bears are part of the fun
accompanied by spending time in these glorious ranges.
These are my
people. The mountains are my jam.
Right now, the Lord has us on flat land again. The coastal lands of Hampton, VA to be
exact. I’m 5 miles from the ocean
beaches, and surrounded by tidal water everywhere. To be clear, I am completely confident we are
here for a reason. In fact, these entire
past 15 months in the flatlands have felt like (in “Christian”ese terms) a
total “valley” experience that has been completely
necessary. And by a “valley”
experience, I don’t mean to say I’m completely miserable here. In fact, we have a very good life here! We have an amazing church, even better
friends, and a beautiful home. There is
so much to be thankful for in this place.
But it still feels like a place we don’t belong forever. This
isn’t our resting place. Just a rest stop.
Coming down from mountain-tops is necessary. Eventually our water jugs run dry, we eat all
our snacks, and “real-life” awaits us in that city below. So I know our time here is a necessary
chapter in our lives. But as I awoke
this morning, maybe the Lord was reminding me how temporary valleys and
mountaintops are. And He refreshes us in
both places. He is with us in both. He is with us always.
Maybe the Lord was reminding me that He will soon bring me
back to the mountains. He created me,
knows me better than myself, and therefore, knows my heart’s desire to be back
in a place where the mountains are right outside my windows. But more than that, where I truly belong is in Him alone, and no physical location on this earth is permanent. The only place I will truly rest forever will be in eternal Heaven! But for now, this is where I belong, and I
must find rest and peace in His sovereign will to have me here.
“‘For the mountains
may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,’
says the Lord.”- Isaiah 54:10
