Mountains and valleys

I decided to take a month, maybe a little bit longer at a spiritual retreat in Norway. The scenery here is breathtaking, beautiful mountains and valleys which I have started to explore.

The place I am staying is called Lia Gård. You can find more information on the website www.liagard.no

A couple of days ago i was hiking along a trail down the mountain, stopping to pick wild strawberies and blueberries along the way. In this peaceful tranquil setting, I was absorbed by the beauty of God's creation, taking little notice of the fact I was decending down the mountain. The going was so easy. At one point I realised I need to turn around to get back to the base where I'm staying. As much as I would have loved to continue down this trail, I realised the view I had earlier was diminishing.

So I turned around and up the mountain I climbed, huffing and puffing along the way (I'm so out of shape). I wasn't noticing nature's beauty as much, I was getting tired, stopped several times to rest and pick blueberries. It was a bit of a struggle climbing uphill, not that I wasn't enjoying it. Going uphill in a forest there wasn't anything spectacular to view. Climbing out of a valley there seldom is.

Isn't it true in our lives as well? When we have been caught in a rut, the valleys of our lives, how difficult it becomes to see the mountain top let alone the view. At times like these we need to put our faith in what we don't see, the mountain top ahead and the view that God has prepared for us to see. For He promises us a view no eye has seen...

No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared
for those who love him
1 Cor 2:9