Mountain Lens

Hello Readers!

It’s been a while since I’ve last written, and I’m excited to be back at it this summer. Basically, it’s June 7th, May flew by, and life has been crazy – but what else is new?

Ever since the last few weeks of school leading into summer, I was praying a lot about purpose – how people know what theirs is and what living out your purpose looks like. Specifically in my life, I had to figure out what my purpose actually was, at least for the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I had/have things planned for the summer, but everyone around me felt stirred by the Holy Spirit to DO something. Anything from being camp counselors to setting up internships, people had big, life changing plans that they knew they needed to fulfill. They felt it in their hearts, or were just blessed with amazing opportunities.

One of these people was my sister, who, per her personality, accepted a job as a camp counselor in Colorado – a state she’s never been to before, in a camp she’s never laid eyes on. Readers, let me tell you, that is bold, but at the same time so cool because she, like the many others mentioned, felt a stir in her heart to go there and do what God wanted with her. Anyways, because of her accepting this job, our whole family would get the opportunity to go out there to drop her off at the end of May, and that was the one thing I could look forward to. As summer closed in, I couldn’t wait to go home to figure out what God had there for me (because obviously he MUST have something brilliant lined up).

As I arrived home and the unpacking process commenced, I quickly learned that my purpose wasn’t at home (or so I thought) and a certain sadness settled on me because where was God’s plan for me? Starting a summer class while working a part time job kept me busy and seeing old friends was great, but that is hardly a purpose for the whole summer. To be honest, my sister’s story sounded a whole lot better than mine did – camp counselor in Colorado vs. accounting in metro Detroit. Do I even have to ask which sounds more interesting? I wanted adventure and fulfillment! Not studying and boredom.

May flew by, and all of a sudden it was time for our family Colorado trip to drop Meg off at camp. Landing in Denver, I knew this wasn’t going to be an ordinary trip because from the second we landed, all we could see were mountains. And let me tell you, pictures don’t do them justice, and they are a lot more intimidating than you think. Not from far away, but when you get up close and personal and are driving up one, they’re menacing. So driving through them that first day, all I could do was stare in awe and just gape at their beauty.

The second day we were there was the day that really got to me. We were driving through Rocky Mountain National Park, and I’ll tell you up front the way I hear God best is when I’m taking pictures with my camera or reading or writing. So at one lookout spot way up in the mountains, I had hopped out of my car to get a really good picture. There were a million thoughts going through my head like “wow this is beyond beautiful” and “how did God even create me after he made these beautiful mountains that could crush me” and after I got the picture, I put my camera down and just looked out and knew what God was trying to tell me all along.

Pano.

Absolutely unreal.

My head was clear and my heart was full, because God was telling me that my purpose for this summer was to live in the moment and find the beauty in the everyday life that I’m living. He told me that life was a lot like taking a picture in the mountains; you can look out at it through a lens, but to really experience it’s beauty, you have to put that lens down and actually live it first hand. It made me feel big and small at the same time, and made my jaw drop to think that Jesus died for me, of all people, when he didn’t have to. It made me think about every other person’s purpose here on this earth, and how I was so obsessed with finding my purpose, that I always looked toward the future, and never stopping to notice all that God done for me.

It was a beautiful realization and one that I think will help me get a lot more out of the life I’m living. Because adventure is wonderful, but if you can find the beauty and blessing in everyday life, you’ll always wake up to the best gift that God has given you – a life that is distinctly and individually yours, full of His grace and mercy.

Enjoy the start to your summer, readers, until next time!