Living with your head down.

Last week our family took an epic, 11-mile hike.  (My husband says it’s epic because it was so hard it caused pain.  I don’t think there’s enough ibuprofen for me to do epic.) 

I noted on our epic hike that when the pain started the views stopped. 

For seven miles I had looked around at everything beautiful and praised God for it, but when knifing pain began in my knees, my eyes went to my steps. 

For the last four miles beautiful disappeared. 

It’s easy to do that when life gets hard.  All we focus on is the pain of it.   

Grief.  Discouragement.  Hopelessness.  Loneliness.   

The soul looks down instead of up. 

David experiences this and murmurs to himself.  “Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God.  For I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  (Psalm 42:11  NIV) 

When pain hits, looking up takes work.   

That’s why I go to church every Sunday.  Rain or shine.  Because life is painful, but I am determined to lift up my head and see the beauty of God. 

I will yet praise him. 

I will. 

God never stops being breathtaking.  I only stop being able to see it.   

I know some of you are in pain this morning, struggling and discouraged.  I’m praying for you. 

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”  (Psalm 95:6)