Saturday, November 30, 2013

A Thanksgiving Thought



For Black Friday my family and I went hiking up in the mountains.  If I'm going to be trampled , I'd much rather be trampled by elk in the mountains than people in a clothing store!

As we were hiking, there were several times when I'd realize I was only looking down at my feet and the path in front of me, which was kind of a lame view.  Whenever I'd realize that, I'd look up around me at the view, which was spectacular.  We were surrounded by snow-capped mountains, aspens, evergreen trees, snow, different kinds of plants that had survived the winter...we walked through a herd of deer, came upon a herd of elk, and the scene was made that much more picturesque by the rays of the sun bathing the landscape in a golden light, as the sun sank behind the mountains.  I'm a sucker for beauty like that.  Even though I've grown up in Colorado, I haven't lost all wonder at the beauty of the scenery around me.

Yet, sometimes, I DO grow used to it.  I drive parallel and towards the mountains every day, and it can easily escape my attention.  I see them, but often don't NOTICE them.  Even when hiking, I've noticed people have a tendency to look only at the path in front of them, rather than the view.  Some of that is necessary, or you'll slip and fall off a cliff.  But I think it's good to stop every once in a while and look at the view.

All this made me think of life.  Especially in our American culture, we're just focused on getting things done and on the next step we're taking.  We're looking down at our feet, at the path, the next place we're going.  So much so that we sometimes fail to recognize the glory of the place in which we're located.  With Thanksgiving-y thoughts going through my minds, I resolved to stop for a minute and notice what was around me.  I believe it's essential to do as we go through life.

Each season of life is different.  While we're always moving towards a new season, it is so important to stop and appreciate the season we're in.  That's where true contentment and thankfulness comes in.  We appreciate where we're at.  I often look back at certain times and remember how awesome it was, even though there were problems and complications, that season had certain aspects that will never be experienced again!  I want to live in the moment, appreciated each time of life, whether college, working, singleness, childhood, teenage years, whatever...I want to appreciate for what it is at at that time.

Stop a moment and think about the people that are in your life right NOW, the location you're in right NOW, the activities you're involved with right NOW, and look around at the scenery of your life.  Then, thank God for it.

Me being introspective.


3 comments:

  1. Man, you just had to make me jealous with that first picture and the beautiful description of the illustrious landscape didn't you?? Haha, but then, I guess I would be remiss to get the point of the post ;-) Thanks for the reminder, and I'll try not to think too much about snow!

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  2. You did look VERY introspective in that first photo, Michael!!!

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  3. You did look VERY introspective in that picture, Michael!!!

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