Lookout Point

Lookout Point
By Shirley Mitchell

"The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Habakkuk 3:19

My daughter Mikayla's 5th grade class took an overnight field trip to Cumberland Falls State Park. As part of the experience, we went on a nature hike. Now I've been trekking through the woods before so when I heard it was a 1 ½ mile walk and somewhat strenuous, I thought it would not be much of a problem. Well, we went up the hills and down the hills. By the time we arrived at the point to view the waterfalls, my legs were recognizing that I needed to get back to my workout plan that I have forsaken since becoming a mother. As I arrived to what I wished was the parent drop off point, my legs felt like limp spaghetti as I took each step. The other parents and I chatted about how we needed to spend some of those resources spent on our children's sports and health on ourselves.

Suddenly, the children started heading back. I blew my chance of getting a head start on them and started near the back of the parents. The first part of the hike was over 100 stairs straight up. At one point, I had fallen behind the fit mom and sports dad in front of me and was still ahead of the slower moms. So I ran a bit through the flatter parts to keep the faster parents in sight. Keeping my eye on the sports dad, we journeyed up and up. Then we came to the part on the path that must have been another 100 giant steps straight up. I huffed and puffed. My heart was pounding. I stopped sometimes for a few seconds to rest. Then I had to say to myself, "No other mom is stopped on this hill to rest. I cannot embarrass my daughter by being the last person out of here, nor can I embarrass her by collapsing. I must keep walking for my daughter's sake. I can do this."

At the top of this incline that felt close to vertically straight, sports dad is taking the picture of the two boys of which he is in charge. He tells me then that this is the end of the path. He had taken the two boys up to a high lookout point with one of the most extraordinary views down the mountain overlooking the Cumberland River. I was too out of breath and trying to hide it to really care that I had taken that extra quarter of a mile up the mountain.

God spoke to my heart showing me something so special through that experience. Not only was I tougher physically than I thought, although my legs were still sore the next day, but He also told me how willing I am to stretch myself for the sake of my daughters. I would never have started writing and teaching if I didn't want my daughters to know God better than I do.
It is a natural human tendency to give and to do more for others whom you love than you would ever do for yourself. When we really love someone, we sacrifice for them. When we truly love someone, we do things that we would never do just for ourselves. When we do that, God somehow honors this act of giving and selfless living by taking us to new heights with Him. He makes our feet as steady as a deer, and He takes us to high places that we could not go on our own. He rewards those who have a heart like His - giving of themselves for the sake of someone else. Beloved, let's be givers and not takers and leave what we receive up to God.

Pray with me: Lord, help us to see the people in our lives who push us to give more than we would ever give if it was just us. Make us grateful for those people in our lives. Help us to show them our love - even if they are not grateful for the sacrifice at the time. When we do so, we realize that in Your economy we will receive more than we can ever give. You make our feet like the feet of a deer and take us to new heights with You. It's in the mighty Name above of all Names, in the Name of Jesus, Yeshua, we pray. Amen.