031: Ascending to Rest

March 18, 2010
Psalm 120, 121, 123,125, 126, 127, 128, 130

Today I spent 12 hours in my car, driving from my home in Washington State to Sacramento, California. I am an extrovert, but there are times when I value time alone. I am heading to a wedding in LA, and part of why I’m doing it is because I want to spend some time in isolation.

It was a beautiful day today and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive with my car, Poppy. The last time I drove this route was in the middle of winter a couple years ago. Being able to see the sun throughout the ride and watch the coming of spring – the little lambs and blossoming fruit trees – was like refreshment to my spirit.

One of my favorite parts of the drive was winding through the mountains of Southern Oregon and Northern California. I love the ascension process of driving through a mountain pass. This trip was cool because I started out in the Willamette valley, drove the length of it, and moved upward into the foothills and finally into the pass. When Mount Shasta appeared around a bend – with the sun shining brilliantly and the blue sky providing a vivid contrast to the white snow – it was breathtaking.

The chapter readings from Psalms today were all songs that the people of Israel would sing as they climbed up to the city of Jerusalem. I love the image of music whilst climbing – my iPod was cranked for most of the trip up the mountain – but more so, I love the idea of how the songs reflect the faithfulness, power, holiness, and trustworthiness of God. Somehow, for me, mountains tend to communicate those truths.

When I feel like I’m being overwhelmed by stress of chaos or frustration or responsibilities, my first instinct is usually to get high (and by that I do NOT mean through the method of smoking!). Physically, I want to ascend to a high place. It's like an urge in my soul that trickles down to my feet - I find myself gazing enamored at the hills in the distance. I think this reason is twofold – not only do I want to symbolically step away from whatever is overwhelming about my situation, I also love how climbing up makes me feel closer to God. I know that is a ridiculous idea – God is SO vast and huge and powerful, I don’t have to climb anywhere to get to Him. Corrie ten Boom even said, “There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still,” which is a relief when I start to feel like I’m drowning in the crap of life… but I still like the feeling up having nothing between me and God but the translucence of the air.

I feel like I need to be close to God when I’m happy, when I’m angry, when I’m hurt, when I’m stressed, and pretty much any other overwhelming or strong emotion. I don't know exactly how to handle such emotions on my own - I feel like I need to share them with someone. Since the only constant listening ear in my life is Jesus, I like to take them to Him. The mountains and the ideas they evoke about entering God’s presence help me get perspective on my life. I like that about heights. You can see the world spread out around you, and you can step away from the immediacy of your life.

Do you need to find a mountain to drive up or a hill to climb? Do you need some isolation time? Maybe you should take a road trip… After all, road trips seem to just be good for the soul – they seem to help jumpstart the essence of resting in God.