Purple Mountain Majesty

"O beautiful for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties 
Above the fruited plain! 
America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea! " -Katherine Lee Bates






Driving across Eastern Colorado is supremely disappointing. If you have ever made this trip you know what I am saying. You drive all the way across Kansas and finally arrive at colorful Colorado only to be greeted by prairie and tumble weeds. What? Where are these "mountains" you think? The great part about this trip is further down the road you being to see a hazy outline of something grand and glorious. What appears only to be a shadow on the horizon at first steadily grows into the bold a beautiful Rocky Mountains with each passing mile. 

I may have been spoiled in my youth. You see I grew up always being able to see the mountains. My family lived in several places in Colorado and I grew accustomed to seeing mountains every day. When I was in lower elementary school I lived in Frisco and was surrounded by mountains. It was part of the physical education requirements in that area to learn a winter sport. Cool huh? In my adolesence I lived in Colorado Springs right next to Pike's Peak where Katherine Lee Bates pinned the lyrics to America the Beautiful in 1893. The grand and glorious rocky Mountains inspired her to see the beauty of our great country and the wonder of God's creation. I have always been fond of the mountains but it is not until recently that I have figured out why. You see I moved to Missouri to go to College and met my husband. We have since settled in Missouri. Not hailing originally from this part of the world, big rivers really do not inspire me as much as the giant mountains that seem to dwarf onlookers. 

This summer I was very blessed to visit Colorado to celebrate my cousin's wedding. After the wedding in Denver my entire immediate family drove to Estes park for 5 days. When we finally got to Estes Park we were surrounded by mountains. I could not get enough of looking at them, I spent every minute of sunlight gazing on the mountains. 

Estes Park

We took several hikes in Rocky Mountain National park and I enjoyed every one of them but I learned the most on the hike I took alone with my sweet husband to Cub lake. We hiked about 3 hours total and the terrain was challenging but not too difficult. We were surrounded by God's majesty and created beauty. I began to ask myself and God why these mountains mean so much to me. Why do these mountains they stir my soul? The answer came as we were making our way back to the shuttle, the answer is that I am small. I am a small but valuable part of God's redemptive plan. The mountains remind me of that. The fact that my life, my problems, my path, are not as big as they seem is calming. God reminded me that I am part of his big picture and he rejoices to let me be a part of it. He is a big God. A God who created oceans, seas, mountains, plains, heavens and earth. He created the whole earth and everything in it and me. What? In comparison I seem to be less significant than the whole of creation yet when God made man and woman he said that it was very good. 

Me at cub lake

Walking the path to Cub lake God reminded me that I am to look to him for guidance and trust that he, the God of all creation, has it all under control. He reminded me to look upon the hills when I or life seem to big. He reminded me that his love for me is vast and bigger than any shortcoming I may possess. Maybe you feel the same way, maybe life is big right now. Maybe your struggles are keeping you from seeing the bigger picture, maybe God wants you to look at him and feel small. The wonderful part of people and creation is that God made all of it for his glory. Your life and mine are part of a bigger plan of redemption and purpose that God has for all of us. What makes you feel small before God? Is he calling you to go there so he can wrap his arms around you and assure you that the big things in life that overwhelm you are not too big for him. 

Rocky Mountian National Park taken on our hike.

"I lift my eyes up to the Mountians- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1-2