o·ver·whelm·ed

It was 1980 and I was riding in an old Dodge fifteen passenger van heading out to the Big Horn Mountains in Ten Sleep, Wyoming which was 850 miles from my hometown in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

It was my first trip out west and the first time I would experience mountains. I was traveling with a group of volunteer youth workers on a ten day trip during Christmas Break for some much needed R&R.

 

Because I had never been in the mountains, I requested that someone wake me up when we arrived in the mountains. A fellow traveler said to me;

“We are already in the mountains; in fact we have been in them for the past half hour or so.” 

 

I looked out the van window and was baffled by the view. We were in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains and quite honestly, it didn’t look much different than the hills of my home state; Minnesota. I was a little disappointed and thought to myself;

"I could have stayed in Minnesota or driven to Wisconsin to see this!"

 

In case you didn’t know, mountains, when you are driving in them, can seem to be not much to look at. It is only when you stand far away or go up high that you are able to fully realize just how magnificent they are.

 

Convinced that I wasn’t really missing much looking out the window, I laid my head back into the head rest and tried to focus on the conversations in the van.

 

In a short time, we arrived at Deer Haven Lodge and unpacked our gear into our cabins, and proceeded to go to sleep. The next morning, we ate our food, packed our backpacks with enough food to be gone until dinner, and headed out for our day trip.

 

We spent the day hiking and talking and looking for wild life. I was young and single and probably was distracted by the ratio of three women to every two guys.

 

At around two o’clock in the afternoon, we came through a small pass and arrived at Meadowlark Lake, which had a small geyser that was cerulean blue in color. All at once, I turned and looked to my left and saw this most amazing valley surrounded by the Bighorn Mountains.

 

It was at that moment that I realized just how overpowered I felt as I was overwhelmed by the magnificence and the size of the mountains! I stood in awe at the beauty of God’s creation. No wonder people make the long trek to see the mountains!

 

I love it when something good or someone completely takes me by surprise and I am overwhelmed! Those times when I least expect it and God “shows up” and reveals just how much He loves me!

 

I think that part of why I don’t always see Him is because much like driving in the mountains, it is easy for me to be distracted by life in the foothills as I get used to my religious, mediocre relationship with God.

 

Sometimes, even when I am “in the mountains” I lose perspective of where I am really and who He is as my problems and complaints and sense of entitlement block me from seeing Him.

 

Hey, did you know that it is possible to block out seeing the entire Big Horn Mountains by simply holding a quarter over your eye?

 

It is at those times when I need God to help me to take a step back or to go up higher to fully realize just how magnificent He really is. And when He does, it sometimes feels as though I just came upon a huge mountain range and I am overwhelmed by His goodness and just how wonderful He is!

 

It is in those times of being overwhelmed by His love that I delight myself in Him and I run to Him; unashamed because of His mercy!

 

How about you? Are you overwhelmed today by the love of the Father? Or are you distracted by life in the foothills barely surviving on your religious, mediocre relationship with God?

 

Have you lost your view of the vastness of Him as you’ve focused too much on your problems instead of who He is? Then today I have good news for you. This same God who created the Big Horn Mountains wants to overwhelm you with His love!

 

You simply need to ask and He will do; I guarantee it. That is what the whole death, burial, and resurrection is all about. If it was simply to forgive us of our sins, then why would we stay living here after we surrendered our hearts to Him?

 

It’s really up to you. Today you too can be overwhelmed by Him.