I LOVE the image in the background of this page. It is a picture of the famous "Cerro de Siete Colores" or "Hill of 7 Colors." It is part of the also famous "Quebrada de Humahuaca" in Jujuy, Argentina. A quebrada literally means "break" and refers to the mountain landscape. It is a break in the mountains - or a ravine, gorge, narrow pass. NW Argentina is full of many more stunningly beautiful areas like this. It is a treasure trove of geologic wonder! Well, at least to me and the 700,000 Jujenos. : ) (Those are people who live in Jujuy...and the "n" should have a tilde over it, but I don't yet know how to make one in blogger. ha.)
Anyways, it reminds me that no matter how much I love the mountains, (They are extremely high around here. Higher than anything we have in the Continental US) part of what makes them truly spectacular are the valleys that cut through them, reveal what is inside, and help to contrast the elevation and show off how truly high and majestic the mountains are.
I suppose my life, every life in fact, is the same way. We all love the mountain top experiences, but it is the valley's, the hard times we go through, that show off what is inside and show us by contrast how awesome the mountain top experiences really are. Not fun, often painfully revealing, but always important.
I was going through some difficult times today - very tired, the kids were acting up (in public of course : ), I was pressed for time with lots of work and a deadline looming,..when I needed to honor a promise I made to Nate & take him across town to go buy something at Changomas (Walmart, in this part of the world). Of course, it took longer than expected, cost me more money than I would have liked (Yes. Yes, I am tight), and to top it off - as I needed to hurry home - the car would not start. Even with our special "start your motor spray" that I have been using (and it had always worked to date) that boosts your octane and helps the car to start - it would not start. In fact, it made some noises I have never heard it make before. Worrisome to be sure. : (
So, we had to go BACK into the store and kill more time. (When it has not started in the past, this has been the remedy - let it sit for awhile, pray LOTS, and then come back in a 1/2 hour or more and it starts.) THANKFULLY, this time it did again! But not before I was deep in the valley - behind schedule, frustrated, disappointed in my own attitude and reaction to the kids, etc, etc. Funny how satan loves to kick you when you are down. I realized it too late and said and did things that I regretted afterward.
The quebrada cuts deeper...THEN I had to ask God for His forgiveness and HELP, ask my kids to forgive me (No, daddy is NOT perfect - crazy, I know.), and work hard with God's grace to pull it back together, hurry and get Heather to an appointment, watch the kids in the right attitude (still struggled) and not stress out over being farther behind in my own schedule.
I am not sure just what this quebrada in my life revealed. I hope that my wife, kids, and those around will see the beautiful colors and landscape of God's grace. I hope that not too much of "me" showed through, because honestly, it is not a landscape that anyone wants to stop and admire as they tour the area of my life.
One good thing - God is still here. He never leaves or abandons us. I can't imagine how horribly ugly my life would be without Him. Seriously. This is not false humility. I know how much He has had to (and still does) clean up, cover over, and redesign in me. I pray that I get better and better at allowing Him to do so. Maybe people will be able to stop and take pictures of my life one day and say, "Wow! That is beautiful. It is cool what God can do with a life that would otherwise be so ugly."
Gotta jet. God bless you all - very much : )
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