Help…where does it come from?

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2 ERV
My morning scripture couldn’t fit more perfectly than today.
After a healthy breakfast, we put hiking shoes on and headed to Looking Glass Falls.  
The seven mile hike was more difficult than we thought.  Climbing over rocks, roots protruding from the ground, miniature waterfalls immerse from the rock walls, and vertical climbs these Floridians are not accustomed to on a daily basis. But… ahhhh what a challenging yet energizing hike…okay, a little huffing and puffing too.  

Ignorantly, we assumed we were hiking to a waterfall.  Bless, if we would have read the sign, instead of glancing at our location, prior to the hike, we would have gathered that the waterfall was not what this hike was about.  
We were about an hour into the hike when we saw a hiker coming down the mountain and asked him “how much long do we have?”  He enthusiastically (because he was on his way down) said, “Only about 45 mintines to an hour.”  What?!  We persevered, embraced the little things along the way, and kept on trekking.  
We were only about twenty minutes away from reaching our destination, when we ran into another hiker.  He warned us to be careful.  We were a bit perplexed, but kept moving.  
Then, we saw our third seasoned-hiker and asked about a waterfall.  They smiled, gave a chuckle, and said, “There’s no waterfall up there.  You don’t have to hike to see the waterfall, just drive.  You don’t even have to get out of your car.”  
The look on our faces was disappointment and confusion.  Well, we’ve made it this far, we must finish.  Never give up.
Wow!  We made it! The panoramic view of the lush green neighboring mountains was breathtaking.  We totally understood why a fellow hiker warned us to be careful. The “DANGER CLIFF” sign we passed made absolute sense. The massive mist covered stone, that cascaded down like an infinity pool overlooking the state of North Carolina, was slippery.  There wasn’t a guard rail to prevent you from siding off the mountain top.  We were cautious, took photos, breathed in God’s grace and love as we took in the beauty of His creation.  
In referring to the Bible verse above, we can look to the hills, the mountains, the breathtaking beauty of nature surrounding us to encourage us, but where does the ultimate encouragement and help come from? The Creator of it all.

God sure gave us the strength, endurance, good health, and perseverance to complete our seven mile hike.  A treasured memory captured in mind and photos on the phone, and tucked away for a lesson on perseverance.  
When we reached the bottom, I went to look at the sign.  It clearly said, “Pisgah National Forest.  Trail head.  Looking Glass ROCK”. 

We pulled up the location of the waterfall and drove about three minutes to it.  I had to laugh when I read the sign, “Looking Glass WATERFALL”.  Yes, it was in all caps, as if we weren’t the only knuckleheads to have made that four hour round trip hike to a fall that wasn’t of water, but could be of one wrong slip.
Note and encouragement to self and others:

• Read carefully…read God’s word carefully.  Don’t take verses out of context.  Know what the meaning is and how God wants you to learn from the Bible.
• Persevere…there will be times when life gets difficult.  When you call on God for help and think about the glory that lies ahead, it will be worth it.  Even if it isn’t what YOU expected, God has a plan and a lesson for you.
• Embrace the small things…while hiking, we would stop to observe the intricacy of spider webs, the various type of growth on the sides of trees, the root system of unearthed trees lying on their side, the intermittent cool breezes that would cool you at just the right moment, and so much more.
• Enjoy life…spending times, peaceful and challenging, with family and dear friends, is priceless.  Get out there and live life to its fullest.

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2 ERV

Amen! The Creator of all is the greatest helper in life.  Turn to Him.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie