I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

"I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, my help comes from the Lord; my help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth."

This is the first verse of a song in our hymnal, "Songs of Faith and Praise" that we sometimes sing. While the tune isn't the most catching, the words are very thought provoking. They are taken from Psalm 121:1-2 - "I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Ever since I can remember, I've always had a song stuck in my head. Really. Sometimes it's an orchestral piece with various parts running through, and other times it's the words of a favorite hymn or recent song heard on the radio. Regardless, there's always one in there.

Today I had the song "My Help Comes from the Lord" stuck in my head, and it finally dawned on me, "What and/or who are my hills? Where does MY help come from?" I'm afraid to say that the hills in my life aren't typically the ones I should be looking to...

So often it's so easy to receive advice from somebody about something you're going through. It's so simple to get an idea when walking by something that sparks your attention. We draw so much from the things surrounding us: our hills. Sadly, those hills can become very large, and block out the mountain that stands behind them.

The LORD almighty is somewhat like a big mountain to me. I have always loved the outdoors, and I always feel so close and connected with HIM when in HIS creation. Where I'm from, the Cascade Mountain Range serves as the eye catcher in our area. Specifically the Three Sisters: Hope, Faith and Charity. Each one is over 10,000 feet tall, and when you look at them you can't help but see God. Rising high above the hustle and bustle of the area, they stand high and proud - a beacon for many. You always know that they're gonna be there, and you never stop looking at them with an awestruck look of amazement. The question, "How did they get there" never stops running through your mind. Regardless, they are there, and they're beautiful.

GOD is ALWAYS there, loving us, and wanting nothing more than for us to look to HIM. He knows everything we need, and wants to provide for us a sense of comfort, peace, and true love that nobody else can. We neglect his ever-present love and affection, and instead concentrate and focus on the hills we've created in our lives.

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore." - Psalm 125:2

Next time we're going through that tough time, and not exactly sure what to do, let's look to the mountain that is always looking on us.

Well, Here We Go...

To start off, I'd like to thank a new friend in my life - Charissa Collins - for telling me to start blogging. I've never done anything of the sort, so it will be an adventure for all of us. Well, at least me. And Charissa said she'd read it, so her, too.

What does one write about when blogging? I suppose one could recount certain events that were of interest throughout their day, which I of course intend to do, but that seems rather generic. There are so many things to discuss and write about that it's almost daunting when trying to figure out where to begin!

I think that I'll begin with a retelling of what I did this last weekend. My very good friend, Paula Jones, invited our friend Kelsey and myself to come home with her to Mena, Arkansas. It's in the middle of nowhere, but I've been before and kind of like it, actually. So, we left on Friday afternoon, and got to Mena just in time for our dinner reservations that Paula's aunt had made for us. I really love Paula's family; they're atypical, and wonderful. Paula's aunt Patricia was an English teacher for 40 years, and her and I get along quite well. I find her hilarious. We like to pick out the small details that nobody would ever notice and rant about them. At dinner we talked about how they never ask if you want lemon in your water before they bring it out. I then continued with information that I had learned a while back concerning how lemons are typically the dirtiest item in a restaurant kitchen because they're never washed. Rather disgusting.

We didn't do much over the weekend - just hung out and enjoyed ourselves. There is this random clothing store called Herod's in "Downtown" Mena, and they have my size jeans! I'm 6' 4", so finding pants that fit is always horrifying. However, much to my surprise upon my first visit last year in August, Herod's carries 32x36 jeans in several styles. Last time I was there, I actually got some Lucky brand jeans! Sort of odd that this little store in a small town has good jeans that fit me, but they do. So, I bought some more.

Coming back yesterday from Mena, Paula was driving and I was sitting up front with Kelsey in the back. We came around a corner, and I yelled, "Dog!" Paula slowed, and we didn't hit them. Then, as we passed the dogs (as there were two of them), an 18-wheeler came down the hill in the opposite direction and hit one of the dogs! We literally watched it die in our mirrors! It was mortifying. I told Paula to just keep driving - we noticed a truck that was behind the semi-truck had pulled over. I don't do well with things like that, so I'm thankful that somebody else was able to help. I had been eating a leftover quesadilla when it all happened, but my appetite disappeared after we'd watched the poor dog die.

Today I got up at 7:00 - my regular time - and was disappointed that my allergies were still attacking me. I think that I'm just allergic to the state of Arkansas. I take several antihistamines frequently, but nothing ever really works. Today was especially bad - as had been all weekend - so I decided to take two Benadryl, skip classes and sleep all day. I did, and when I woke up from my 4 hour nap, my allergies were gone. Amen for Diphenahydramine!

Super random blog, but as I said, I have no idea what to write about for the first one. Be sure and keep your eyes peeled for the next one that comes out. I bet it'll be a lot more interesting.

May God bless you, and comfort you in whatever you're experiencing. :)

-D