This is a step out of the ordinary to post something so introspective and at this level of personal, but I've been hearing more people calling out for a mental break. Took my chances—maybe it'll be worthwhile for someone else.
The words I said:
Just finished hiking a trail in Schoodic, one of the parts
of Acadia National Park in Maine. It’s an area I used to come to a lot as a kid
with my family. I have a couple of aunts here and cousins and we used to come
down here because it’s really close to their house. So it has a lot of special
meaning to me.
I’m watching the fog roll in right now and there’s an island
across the way. I can smell the salt air, see the different color blues and the
whites; the golden color of the rocks. There are cliffs that come right down
into the ocean and the waves crash up really high; really rocky beaches where
you can hear the waves taking the rocks out and rolling them around, then
pushing them back up onshore.
Sometimes I like to come down here, especially when I’m
making a decision or faced with something difficult in my life, and watch the
waves come in. It kinda reminds me that there is a power out there bigger than
me. For me, that’s my Heavenly Father. People believe in many different forms
and whatever that might be for you, sometimes it’s good just to remember that
there are bigger powers out there than you.
It’s good to just go somewhere where you feel smaller. I
discovered that first when I moved to Utah and I saw the mountains around me
and how big they were. My idea was: If God can control these mountains and they
obey, then He can take control of my life.
I feel the same way when I come down here to the ocean and
think about how vast it is and how it shapes the earth and the coastline; that
there are people on the other side of it. Sometimes you get really caught up in
your life and forget that. It’s good to remember your significance and to
remember that I’m small.
Like God can move mountains, He also can calm the sea. It is important, as you said, to remember how big the world is and the difficulties others are facing. It allows us to move beyond ourselves into the greater purpose of helping others do the same by sacrificially meeting the needs that we feel. God graciously uses His creation to bring us into a greater awareness of His love.
ReplyDeleteIt was good to hear and see His power through your video.
I love that comment, Kristy. Thank you for leaving it! I also believe He uses His creation to remind us of His love. I certainly feel it when I see how beautiful the world is. :)
DeleteI like these types of posts, Gina. I'm not really religious, but very spiritual. I hope that makes sense. Nature is a very large part of that and I also retreat to wild places.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time it seems more that I am drawn there as opposed to making a decision to go there.
It always impacts me that the effort to solve whatever problem I have requires far less input from outside forces than what was required to form the natural circumstances around me.
Consider Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, or even Thunder Hole and it's crystal clear that what we need to do to correct our path is less demanding.
That always seems to set me with the correct perspective.
Love this post, everything about it :) I just visited Acadia last fall for the first time. What a beautiful place! Someone I consider very wise once said that there are certain things one must learn that (paraphrasing here) the rich learn in temples but the poor can learn in the tops of mountains. Nature is definitely sacred.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me I need to find my natural "thinking place" again. Wise words, thanks Gina.
ReplyDelete