Viva la Vida

James 4:13-15
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or Tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"

This weekend I went on a Leadership retreat with our BSM (campus ministry); the whole time I just felt exhausted, as though the entire summer was beginning to catch up with me and all that I had experienced was crashing in on me. They asked us the question, "What do we want to accomplish in our missions this year?" and I was stuck. There was no room for me to move forward because I was not done chewing on the summer and planning for the next.

Right before we ended the weekend, our director John asked everyone to take time to share anything that they felt God had pressed on them over the course of the weekend. One of the seniors, my friend Randa talked about how she wanted to remember that she is here, at this moment, in the present. Which is exactly where I need to live.

I have given up who I am to my Papa, this surrender is for him and the present is where I am with him. I learn from the summer but I live for today.



...An extra thought:
The Trough
There are three spots for which Longs Peak is famous: the Keyhole, the Narrows, and the Trough.

The Trough is a section that has a wide base and closes in as you gain elevation and spills rather suddenly into the Narrows.

One of the most dangerous aspects on this section is the hundred or so other hikers that cause the Trough to resemble a very hardcore city street. A careless foot can send sheets of loose granite plummeting 2,000 feet to the valley below; which always runs the hazard of bringing a "pedestrian" right along with it.

The fear on this peak is real, in many ways in comes down to "will I die today?" The only thing to focus on; preserving your life and that of those below you, is putting all your energy on what you are on at that very moment.

If I had let myself twist my neck behind me or too far forward, I would surely have lost my footing. So one icy, loose boulder at a time, we made our way over the Trough and were exposed to the east south east face.

One day at a time.