A Mountain Top Experience On A Mountain Top

I took my teenaged son on a road trip this Christmas break. We drove from Sacramento to Seattle in our trusty car, the Silver Bullet. It's a long stinkin' way. Both ways.

We had all the necessary provisions.........jerky, chocolate, oranges, water, soda.......I'll spare you the entire list, but be assured it was really long and questionably healthy. We also had our respective music, me: Van Morrison CDs, him: MP3 with headphones. The weather is pretty fair in California, even in the winter, but you do travel 2 snowy mountain passes between here and Seattle. We planned ahead and bought snow chains at the Wal-Mart and practiced putting them on the car in the dry weather before we left home. I've never used chains before. I've never driven in the snow before. I've only been in a car once when it was actually snowing......and we didn't need chains. So much for my qualifications.

I have been ruled by fear in my life. As an undercurrent, a sort of unspoken rule "if you're afraid or if this causes you anxiety, DON'T DO IT!!" That has been a recorded message in my mind for years. I'm not talking about the message that says "don't stick your hand in the flames" or "don't drive drunk." There are some messages of caution what are wise to heed. I'm talking about that general sense that if I'm uncomfortable or anxious about something unknown or unfamiliar, I shouldn't do it. You can imagine the sort of predictable boredom that comes from that. I used to call it safety or security, or even, frighteningly enough, smart.

I had grown weary of the lack of freedom in my life. I was tired of wanting something that seemed just out of reach only to realize it was actually my fear that held it up. I started attempting to order my life without accounting for the bit of anxiety it might cause. What do you want? Answering that question without all the what-ifs or you-really-shouldn'ts. This has been met with a good measure of success. I have experienced an increased amount of excitement, pleasure, joy, and growth since I started this.

The roadtrip was no excetpion. We started out on a clear, sunny morning. The trip up was fabulous until we hit Washington State. Did you know it rains in Washington in the winter? Really hard? Well it does. Anyway, we visit relatives, sightsee, blah, blah, 5 days later, it's time to go.

On the way home we decide to leave earlier than we had for the trip up. We get up at 3:15AM. We are in the car by 4:15. Teenaged boys are asleep at 4:15AM, so the ride is quiet and traffic free. We make Salem by 8, stop for breakfast and continue the trek. It's raining really hard by now and I am starting to be concerned about the pass. I keep praying that by Ashland, Oregon the clouds will part and we will sail over the pass under blue skies and blessings of the Almighty.

The blessing part was true, but by Ashland the rain is coming down in buckets. We stop to use the restroom and it's POURING. We make a few calls to have someone check the internet for weather conditions. Snow? Thanks. We decide to continue inspite of the report. We have come a long way and there's still a long way to go and I've decided to stop being afraid, remember? Besides, I have the equipment to make it. I have the experience, er.....practice? Right, I'm nervous so as we are leaving our pitstop I say to my trusty sidekick.....let's pray. Oh yeah, he's one step ahead 0f me. We pray with boldness and confidence that God will be with us and that the snow would stop.

The Silver Bullet makes his way back on the freeway. I don't know when to put on chains. I'm assuming they will tell me and they do. We stop on the side of the road and secure the chains in record time. Perfectly exectued. We're pros, all high-fives and bragging. How fast can you drive with chains on? More gratitude for cell phones.



We made it over the snowy pass with peace and awe. The snow falling on the tree branches and hills and fence posts was absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking. I'm filled with the sense of freedom. God truly is with us. He truly is watching out for our good. I prayed for the snow to stop and for my path to be familiar and predictable. He had a better plan in mind. He knew that He could take us over a snowy pass and we could experience breathtaking beauty. He knew that we had done our part of preparation and that we could make it in this great adventure. He knew He planned to be there while my anxiety turned to joy. He was planning to be there whether I noticed Him or not. I'm grateful that I did notice Him there. I'm glad I was able to praise Him in real time for a real event with my son 16 inches away from me.

You know the funny thing is that once we were on the hill, there was such a sense of peace that it truly didn't matter if we made it over the pass or slid off the cliff......God was there and we knew it.

A mountain top experience on a mountain top.