Finding "The Spot"

Back in the days of college and new found life in Jesus, it seemed fairly easy to see the majesty of God painted through the North Georgia hills. If you've never been in the upper-left hand corner of Georgia, I'd say you're missing out on some mighty fine landscapes. Quite a few of them come to mind--a cliff along a lonesome highway as the leaves begin to change into vibrant reds and yellows, or a waterfall hiding at the back of a dirt path and three miles of hike and climb, or a quiet mountain lake turned into a campground that nobody seemed to know was there. Some of my more impressionable memories of the time occurred at these places. The area was chock full of 'em to go to get un-busy and talk with God.

Since then, it's been a lot harder to find those places. I don't live in North Georgia anymore, and it's way too far for a weekend getaway. Every now and then I've caught myself just driving around, trying to find "The Spot" in Kansas, but I haven't been that successful. And as time passed by, I've looked less and less for those places.

For some reason, today was a different day. It was time for a little exploring.

There's different reasons I go in search of "The Spot." I've gone out of boredom, and I've gone to sort out my thoughts. It made a good time for a date once, and it's been worth a couple of times to take some buddies along to discover what was hiding at the top of the next mountain. Since I'm running short on companions these days, it was just me and my trusty steed, an old four cylinder S-10 I've come to know and love in recent months. Perhaps it was loneliness today, or a need for a change in scenery, or the Spirit telling me it was far too long since God and I had a good chat, but off I went.

So where can it be found? It's usually in a place where I've not been before. And looking for scenic spots on a map or on the web isn't as fruitful as it sounds--because it wouldn't be "The Spot" if it was host to a bunch of other people not in the least bit interested in peace and quiet. All that can really help is a full tank of gas, some water, and a prayer.

So I drove a bit, and it wasn't looking good. I know all of these roads I'm going down; I've been down them all before.

And then I saw something that stirred hope in my veins: A shiny brown sign. You know the ones I'm talking about. They're usually rectangular, or perhaps a parallelogram, and they point to campgrounds and the like. Thank God that He inspired someone in the government to understand there'd be people like me looking for places that are hard to find. So, I hit the brakes, bit my lip, and turned down the road.

It was beautiful.

I hadn't seen anything like it the entire three years I've been here in Kansas. The parking wasn't much, just room enough for my tiny truck, but across the guard rail was a wonderful sight to behold. A short valley cut by water and age, and the tops of the hills sheared off at a height. Way down at the end of the small valley was a lake, and I could see the rippling blue. There were some birds of prey circling around the air, looking for food, looking graceful all the while. The low-hanging sun reflected off all of the field grass as it swayed in the cool September air. And there were trees! Not many of them (this was still Kansas), but they were there. I wanted to stay there forever.

But I didn't, because I was cold and had to pee.

I tell you that story in order to tell you this one. Sometimes we have problems seeing God where we are. Today was no exception for me. Well, it was until I got where I was going, but you've already heard that one. Prayer, for some, seems like breathing. I think that's the way it should ultimately be, but it seems more complicated for me. Perhaps I'm too afraid to ask for things because I don't want to be let down. The funny part is that we're only fooling ourselves to think God doesn't know what we want. What we really want. For me, it wasn't finding "The Spot," it was finding comfort and assurance. That I'm not alone. That I'm not crazy. That this life isn't all there is. That my struggles right here and right now matter to Him.

I'm so glad we can pray to God. That He wants us to pray to Him. It's utterly amazing to what end God has made Himself available.

Thanks, God. You rock, really. Amen.