Seek: In the Valleys
I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
Psalm 121:1-2 NLT
Summit Lake, Mt Rainier, Washington
Spending time in the mountains brings a lot into perspective. Whether you are hiking, backpacking, climbing, or skiing, you have to start at the bottom (unless you are on one of those dreaded downclimb hikes where you go down and then have to hike up when you’re tired - don’t even get my husband started on how he feels about those). I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years hiking all over the Pacific Northwest. Some hikes are steady all the way up. Sometimes you’ll find a flat stretch, or endless switchbacks. But you’re always headed towards something.
I’ve found myself on cliffsides overlooking the Puget Sound and on hilltops looking out over vast valleys. I’ve hiked up fire towers and through the Hoh rainforest. Across wooden bridges to hidden waterfalls and through trails in the suburbs that take you to what feels like a whole other world. I’ve hiked with my husband, with friends, and with my kids more miles than I can count. And I’ve never once regretted spending a day on the trails.
Usually when you step foot on a trail you are headed towards something. A view, a landmark, or sometimes just right back where you started. It always feels so good to reach your destination. To look out over the land, to look down at how far you’ve come. But my favorite part isn’t that. It’s the journey to the destination where God brings me peace.
It’s the sun streaming in through the tall trees that catches you off guard (did you know in Japanese there is actually a word for this? It’s Komorebi). It’s the sound of the stream running by that you hear well before you see it. It’s the endless snack breaks for my kids or stops on the switchback up the hill to take a rest. It’s on the way up where we put in the work, where we seek the path to take, and where we enjoy the anticipation of what’s to come. In the valley is where we look to God to keep pushing on.
Maybe you’re in a valley season of life and it feels like you’ll never reach the top. Maybe you’re tired and thirsty and just weary from all the obstacles standing in your way. Maybe life just feels like you’re on a treadmill, living the same mundane day over and over again. But, if you take a moment to take a deep breath and soak in all the things God has surrounded you with, I promise you, there is peace and joy there. We can’t have the mountaintops, without the valleys. We can’t have highs without lows. And we can’t have joy without moments of mundane.
I pray that in the valleys you’re able to find moments of komorebi, that sunshine peeking through the leaves, and know that it’s the Lord’s way of shining on your day and cheering you on.
May you Seek + Sojourn more,
Teddi Jo
