You can’t know where the path will lead

17Aug

I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord,  the maker of heaven and earth.

-Psalm 121: 1,2

As a girl I was cast in The Sound of Music not once, but twice! Both times I played Louisa, one of the Von Trapp children. No, not Liesl, who sings “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” That would have been awesome. No, I was Louisa, a forgettable character, third in the kid lineup. But I had a ton of fun. Both times.

If you’ve seen the play or the movie you’ll remember, the family flees the Nazis by climbing over the Alps (!) to Switzerland. It takes Captain Von Trapp a beat to warm up to the idea. “I've always thought of these mountains as my friends - standing there protecting us. Now they seem to have become my enemies.” The Mother Abbess replies: “Never your enemies. Haven't you read? I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.”

(Alas, climbing the Alps from Salzburg would have landed the family squarely in Germany: specifically in Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountain retreat. Kind of counterproductive. The real Von Trapp family took a train to Italy, then made their way to Vermont. Not as stirring a final visual.)

But to the point. In danger or despair, lift up your eyes. Lift them up unto the hills. Keep looking up. Keep climbing. You can’t know where the path will lead, but the Lord is with you.

And if someone else gets the role you want, don’t give up. You might just have the time of your life.

Musical Reflection - Climb Every Mountain - Rodgers and Hammerstein

Merciful God, help me to remember today that your consolation is always filled with Grace and Love. Amen.

Grace

Posted by Nancy Gunn

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