Mountain Tops & Rivers
We have always enjoyed camping for as long as I can remember. When our boys were young we camped in tents and enjoyed every minute of it. As time went on we purchase our first camper and from then on it was comfort camping. A few years ago we attended a church camp out in the Heise Hot Springs area. It’s beautiful there and all the activities we enjoy are available and then some.
We found out that you can reserve a camp spot year round and that sounded very appealing to us. So on our way home we stopped at the main office and added our name to the waiting list for a permanent RV spot. A year later the call came that a few locations had opened up. Two on the mountain top and one by the river. The river spot was in higher demand because they rarely because available and there were only a few of them.
We were now second on the list so we had to wait to see which one the person ahead of us would choose. After looking at both I wanted the mountain top location and Tracy wanted the river. Each had their pros and cons, but I really wanted the mountain top. We paid the deposit and waited to hear back on which site we would end up with. This was very exciting and I prayed that we would be where God wanted us to be and then thoughts of helping the decision came to mind.
I could call the office and say we would take one of the mountain top locations and that would be the end of it, but my response from my prayer had be, “Wait and trust Me.” I took that to mean that God would work on Tracy’s heart and change his mind which made me feel better because I didn’t want to do anything behind his back. I knew that it would make Tracy very happy to get the river location, but I could picture being on the mountain top in the mornings, watching the sun rise as I drank coffee and had my quiet time. Yep.. the mountain top is where we needed to be.
A week later we received a call that we got the river location, Tracy was so excited. I was a little disappointed, but if God said to trust Him, then there was a reason we were to be by the river.
Once we moved the trailer in and brought our old deck furniture and a BBQ grill to the site it began to feel like home. The location is on a bend in the river and the view is amazing! The first morning that I sat outside drinking coffee and having my quite time I knew without a doubt that God knows what’s best. The location is perfect!
Because it was spring time the river was running almost at flood stage which was a bit unnerving, but one night I woke up and went outside and saw the most incredible sight. The full moon was shining brightly on the river as it was running at full speed. I could hear the power of water rushing past, I could feel the coolness in the air and could smell the fresh scent as I took in the art work of the creator. It was stunning.
I would have missed that on the mountain top because the trees would have blocked the view, I would have been to far away from the river to see or hear it. God knew what He was doing.
Our neighbors by the river have been in their locations from 4-25 years. They are all wonderful people that we came to know and looked forward to seeing each weekend. One neighbor has several bird feeders and each morning I was able to see several types of birds stopping by for breakfast. There were hummingbirds throughout the season. A couple of squirrels and chipmunks lived in our big tree which is called “Walther 2” and yes, he has a tree face.
None of those things would have been possible on the mountain top because it was a new site and the trees had just been planted. Again, God knew what He was doing.
Throughout the spring and summer this place was our weekend retreat that we looked forward to all week long. With the added stress of changes at both our jobs, life in general and just getting older, it’s no surprise that Heise became our happy place. The place where we could reconnect and find peace, a place to get quite with God and to see God in that place.
The mountain top was a safe, quite and predictable location and it was away from the main area where the people were. The river location was always changing from flood stage to flooding, to calmer water and then to swimming levels, and finally to barely there. The first thing we did when we arrived each weekend was to see the river level and notice the changes the seasons brought to our little world by the river. It was exciting to see what each weekend would bring and it was always different.
God was giving me a life lesson by the river. We can have mountaintop moments or we can have river moments when we have seasons of change. The mountain top moments are when I choose to decline His invitation to “Follow Him” because I want life to be easy and uncomplicated and I don’t want to get involved with people, I just want to do my thing.
River moments are when I accept that invitation to “Follow Him” and I experience amazing adventures, meet new people, get involved and have incredible stories and memories. It reminds me of Peter and John when Jesus called them. They were comfortable, working their family business and living their lives. Then Jesus came and invited them to join Him on an amazing adventure! They had many obstacles, faced their own raging river moments and were eye witnesses to God’s glory.
They traded a safe, known and predictable life for a life of experiencing God, walking with Jesus daily and we still read about their adventures. God was inviting me to “Follow Him.” He was giving me just a taste of what adventures with Him could be like and I want more! More time with Him, more opportunities to trust that He knows best and more divine appointments with people that He will bring into my life.
My Seasons of Life are changing and I can either choose to remain the same and hear about other people’s God adventures or I can choose to be all in and experience my own God Adventures. Yes there will be challenges along the way, but those are memories in disguise. As winter sets in and I think back to some of our river moments, our location flooded for about 3 weeks which was stressful, but it brought us closer to all our neighbors as we looked out for each other. We met new people each week on the golf course and became friends with all the staff members…oh….and there were snakes! But that’s another story. God certainly knows what He’s doing.
My prayer
Father, I thank you that You know what’s best. So many times over the summer I would thank You for not giving me what I wanted because You had a better plan for me. Forgive my stubborn and selfish heart, make me more like You. Help me to trust you from the start and to immediately drop everything and follow You when you call. Amen
Where does my help come from?
Matthew 4:19-20 (Passion Translation)
“Jesus called out to them and said, “Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.” Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus.”