Friday Devotion

Today's offering is from Laurel Burst

Monday, the night before fall break came to its close, my friend invited me to go hiking with her the following morning. I happily accepted the invitation and eagerly awaited our excursion. When Tuesday morning finally arrived it was far from what we were expecting. We woke up and were greeted by a dense layer of fog over the town. Driving up the parkway we could hardly see thirty feet in front of us. It was a dreary and miserable looking morning.

We never admitted it out loud, but by the looks of it, the hike was going to be terrible.  Even if we did make it to the outlook, there wasn’t going to be much to see. But we kept that to ourselves and continued up the mountain to our dreaded hike.

When we got there, we were proven wrong a million times over. We ended up on top of Rough Ridge and above the fog line. On top of the mountain there were tranquil, blue skies and the sun was shining brightly. As far as the eye could see, a fluffy white blanket sat perfectly still below us. The only thing that interrupted it was the occasional mountain peak painted gold and red from the autumn leafs. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

We sat on the top of the ridge for at least half an hour, simply taking in and trying to document the pure beauty of the scene surrounding us. As the morning turned into afternoon we were forced to descend down the mountain again so we could return to classes. But as we drove from clear blue skies into the dense, dreary fog, we weren’t upset. In fact, we were completely giddy. We were so excited to be back in the fog after we had seen the big picture and knew how striking this fog really was. It gave us a new perspective, a renewed outlook on the seemingly dreary day ahead.

This reminds me of the Transfiguration story we hear about in the gospels. Jesus takes three of his apostles onto the mountaintop and He is transfigured before them. Elijah and Moses appear with Him as well. It is a sight the apostles do not want to leave, but Jesus insists they do. As they descend the mountain, they do not return with a reluctant heart. Instead they are renewed in their purpose of following Jesus.

Many times breaks give us that renewal we are seeking. Familiar faces and the warmth of our own bed comfort us, but it only lasts so long. God will always give us that renewal we look for though. When dreary, dense, and often times mundane tasks cloud our schedules, God offers us that renewed perspective we need.