There’s a hill nearby and it calls her. She’s always been challenged by a rising peak and loves the climb and view from the top.
‘Come and explore with me?’ she asks the daughter.
‘Sure!’, any excuse to leave the house at the moment, for any reason, is jumped upon.
They head out into a squally wind and soon find the peak, a bench conveniently placed with a view over the suburb. But another peak calls close by, so they head off again.
Reaching that peak, they look across another suburb to yet another peak and decide to challenge themselves further. Without a map, they’d have to be careful to not get lost in the winding streets.
The wind picks up and fine cold rain brushes their skin, turns their noses red and runny.
They press on and keep looking up to find their bearing.
Keep looking up.
‘I lift my eyes to the mountain – where does my help come from?’
One of her favourite Psalms. How she misses those mighty Andes mountains rising up from her bedroom window an ocean away! Most of the time they were enshrouded in cloud, yet every now and then those clouds would clear and she could see those peaks, and then peaks rising above peaks and she knew peaks would rise yet above those peaks, where oxygen is so thin and lips turn blue and glaciers stand strong and true.
‘He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep… The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.’
Watched over, kept. The Maker of heaven and earth who sees tomorrow, who sees it all, stands strong and true like the Andes, like the hills surrounding her home.
She lifts her eyes to the mountains.
Psalm 121.
Ada says
Love the Psalm, love the photo and thanks for sharing this message. Time for us to do another climb!
Maureen Etherington says
Thanks again, Alison. You write so beautifully, from the heart. And that touches my heart each time. Good to be regularly reminded of God’s unfailing promises. Bless you xx.
alison.bury says
Thanks Maureen!
Annelies says
That Psalm I lift my eyes to the Hills/Mountains, where does my help come from is one of my favourites and gives me so much strength and comfort in so many circumstances and so often comes to mind and especially in the last 6 months with so much happening in our country and the whole world. Thanks for sharing and I can understand you missing those great and beautiful mountains of Peru . God bless you Alison
alison.bury says
Thank you! Big hug to you!