Focusing on the Hills, An Epiphany

Due to various medical conditions, there are times when I am very tired... not the "Stayed up late and sleepy today" or "worked hard and it was a long day" kind of tired. We're talking so tired that even upon wakening, the arms feel too heavy to lift, feet drag along when walking, and the mind seems hazy. It's sitting up, noticing each breath's struggle kind of tired. Weak. Weary.  It's not my practice to bring that up very much, certainly not in that much detail, but sitting and gazing out the window, I had this reminder, an "I will be with you always" moment so that it matters how I felt when it happened.

My strength comes from the hills. Many know that I have a special fondness for the Smoky Mountains, and while a great deal of this fondness is due to the rushing Little Pigeon River, looking out over the hazy blue mountains also brings peace. Layer upon layer, they seem to go on towards infinity.  Likewise, I also enjoy looking toward the hills around here, as they remind me of the mountains.

So, in my weary, but calm, frame of mind, I am reminded, "I will lift my eyes upon the hills..." Yes, it connects to my love of the mountains, but there was a sudden insight that hit me as well. The thought, that reminder of that line in scripture, came almost as an energy bolt, lifting me up spiritually.  I didn't even know where this came from, as in, didn't know the location in scripture, nor did I know the rest of it. I just knew that it spoke to me, so I  had to look it up.

Psalm 121... I  should have suspected that it's in Psalms, as this book of poems and songs seems to sum up all of mankinds' thoughts, needs, and joys.  "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from where comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  An epiphany, an ah-ha moment.

The Hebrew people looked toward the hills, toward the mountains, to where God spoke to them. Moses came down from the mountain with the commandments. Jesus spoke from the mountain, or hills actually, about how to live life. We call this the 'Sermon on the Mount'  and the series of lessons, the Beatitudes. (Blessed are they who...)

Like many, I draw strength from the mountains. This just came to me, not in a series of rambling thoughts,but all of it came, all at once. Before I could even consider this, I thought about the expressions that when we struggle we are in the valleys, but the moments of joy are mountaintop experiences. It is these experiences that give us the hope to carry on, knowing that even in the valleys, we are not alone. We look to the mountains for God's help, bringing us strength to continue. I lift my eyes upon the hills...

When one is discouraged, he tends to look down, towards the earth. He dwells on earthly woes and the despair grows. But if we look UP, look towards the mountains, towards God, our help comes. When we focus on God, the emotional blanket of sadness is lifted away. Whatever sad realities we are facing on earth, by looking up, towards God, we are given the help, and the strength, to continue.

Surely, God blessed me in this brief moment. Physically, my body is weary, but spiritually, my heart is light. 

Psalm 121 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

   

About this picture: This amazing view is from earlier this morning, an actual view from the webcam at Purchase Knob, looking northeast. It's in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
http://nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmpkcam/grsmpkcam.cfm