In the Gray

I’m often reminded of a devotional I read a long time ago by Oswald Chambers. He talked about the importance of learning to live in the ordinary gray days according to what we saw on the mountain.

That’s a great challenge to me. I love the mountains. For some reason, I think more clearly there. It is a great thing for me to leave business and stress behind and head to Colorado for the solitude, the silence, the fantastic beauty, and some pretty good fishing and biking.

For many years I have biked down the No. 401 trail in Crested Butte, Colorado. Right above Gothic pass, you have to push your bike up this single-track trail. After an aggressive stretch through a meadow, you emerge through some trees and you can see for miles down the valley to Crested Butte. On the other side, if you climb a little higher, you can see the Maroon Belle Mountain Range.
I’ve had many great moments with friends and with God at the top of that trail. I came to somewhat of a peace with the loss of my parents. I have caught ideas and thoughts on my future up there. For whatever reason, I just feel closer to God there.

But I don’t live in the mountains.

One thing I have to do is remind myself often about the whispers I heard from God in the mountains. I have to believe in those God moments and live according to what I heard then on those days that are gray and flat.