We just spent 9 days in the Smoky Mountains. I had never been to them and I have to admit that this Colorado girl was a little disappointed. Right now I live in the middle of flatville and I wanted rocky crags and incredible views. I wanted the gleaming deep blue sky you only find at higher elevations. I had thought that going to the Smokies might soothe my homesickness for Colorado. However, our attempt to sightsee from any high points were pretty much like standing in the middle of a cloud. And, evidently, they’re having an unusually rainy season, so I didn’t see much in the way of blue skies. It was hard to enjoy our vacation, just because nothing was like I expected.
But once I was able to look at the Smokies for themselves, I found myself allured by their mystery. There’s something so beautiful and haunting about the perpetual mist that covers them. And they’re very green–as in the green of deciduous trees and vines exploding everywhere, not the green of coniferous forests. It was a nice change.
Thinking about the mountains and how I so longed to hike in the Rockies, but found myself in the Smokies, I started thinking about how God knows the trials I need. It’s easy to look at other people’s lives, or even my own past, and wish I had that instead. I think my life would be better if the road was less rocky, if I was less sick, if things were smoother in various relationships… but just because this isn’t the mountain of my choice, it doesn’t mean it’s not the best place for me to be right now. Where I’m at has a mysterious beauty–the hand of God lurking in the unseen (and sometimes seen).
