Wednesday, August 27

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
—Psalm 121

Years ago when I was in seminary, I lived on a mountain. Each morning, I would jump on my bike and ride over to a bluff called Green's View. I would stand there looking into the mixture of colors in the valley below—greens, yellows, and reds, depending upon which season and how active the farmers had been.  

Seeing the changes, subtle as they were, became one of the highlights of my day. Sometimes, there were few. Sometimes many. A valley can change before your eyes if you know it well enough.  

But my favorite thing was watching a car travel along one of the roadways. A car always looked like a toy, moving along as if some boy or girl were operating the speed control on a transformer somewhere on the other side of the mountain. I would sit there and wonder about the people in the cars—where they were going, what they were doing; were they alone or was the car full; were they happy or sad.  

It became a pastime, a moment for reflection and contemplation. At the time I didn't realize it, but I was praying. I was taking time to be still and listen. I still miss the mountain to this day.  

Do you have a daily time for reflection? Do you meditate?  

Whether you live on a mountain or in the city, there's a place where you could go to unwind, reflect, and decompress. Explore places and find one where you can let your heart and soul take flight. Journal, paint, draw or just sit there as you take in as much as you can. With time, you will find new space in your life—space for God, space for prayer, space for contemplation.  

And it might just be the highlight of your day.  

Creator God, show me a pathway to stillness and open my heart to a life of prayer. Amen.

The Signposts for August are written by Michael Sullivan and originally appeared on explorefaith in 2006.