I am glad to have a little bit of time to reflect and write about some of the things we have been seeing on this amazing journey out west. We have not had much down time and we have not always had access to Wifi. We have, however, enjoyed some amazing hikes, viewed some beautiful scenery, and enjoyed being together as a family.
The above picture is from Zion National Park. We were there almost a week ago. We enjoyed several days there and then went to Bryce Canyon for two days and then on to Salt Lake City for two days. We leave SLT today for Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
So much of our scenery has been amazing rock formations. I think the kids are tired of seeing “rocks.” But each place has been different and unique – from the deep cavernous holes of the Grand Canyon, to the sheer cliff walls of Zion, to the amazing Hoodoos of Bryce…they are all unique and beautiful.
We have learned a lot about these formations and three constants seem to apply – time, pressure, and water. These three factors have worked together to carve out some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. The above picture is from our walk through The Narrows of Zion. The Virgin River ( one of the tributaries of the Colorado River) has, over time, carved out the canyons of sandstone at Zion. The sandstone rock itself is the result of pressure being applied over time to enormous dunes of sand formed millions and millions of years ago. The formations are beautiful and they have taken time. They are still a work in progress.
On our final evening in Zion, my daughter and I hiked to Observation Point – an 8 mile round trip. It was spectacular. You could see so much of the park. As we walked the switchbacks and made our way up the mountain I thought about how each of us is like one of those mountains, canyons, or rock formations. As a person of faith, I believe that God shapes our lives over time. The pressures of life, the challenges, certainly have an impact, and over time, the living waters and the wind of the Spirit smooths out the rough places. The more we cooperate in that process, I think the easier we will have it. Either way, we are in process and are becoming. God is at work in us as a beautiful and precious part of God’s good creation.
Thanks be to God.
P.S. Please remember to make a donation to the 50 for Freedom campaign. I have a long way to go to reach my $50,000 goal and I would like to do it by the run date of September 29th. Will you help? Click here. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=63I_UHe660qIeZaigB75Mx2jS36reMxSB8TL_RmUphr_4kmQxIEmILFlzutUAnAynhq64m&country.x=US&locale.x=US