After my run up Pine Mountain I spent some time sitting enjoying the scenery and the cool breeze.  I was the only one up there for the first 10 minutes or so.  I was later joined by a woman who apparently ran up behind me then two other men who had hiked up with water bottles in hand and walking sticks.  They sat down near me talking business and an acquisition they were considering.  I thought it was an interesting way to discuss business.  Based on their conversation (I wasn’t listening in at all – I promise) they go up there often.

Once I was done taking in the sites and conversations I decided it was time to go.  As I began the RunKeeper app on my iPhone I decided to run the other side of the mountain too.  The purpose for the run beyond the exercise and scenery was to hear from God that morning.  My checklist was complete with the exception of hearing from God.  It wasn’t until I was heading back up the mountain on the other side that I encountered Him in a way that was real and personal.  I had not been satisfied with just making it to the top.  I wasn’t going back home without knowing the experience was complete.

As I was reading Colossians this morning I was reminded of a previous post, When your path intersects with God….  The run back up the other side was exhausting.  I wasn’t taking in the scenery any longer.  I was only concerned about getting back to the top to enjoy the view.  That’s when I related the run back to my life and how too often I stop focusing on the beauty of the journey when things get tough.  In hindsight, it makes me see how much I enjoy living on the mountain top.  The words of Paul in Colossians 3 are fitting as I’m reminded of “the other side of the mountain,”

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.  See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2, The Message).