The Mountain is Out Today!

Posted by: Kathy from Afternoons | Monday, May 5th, 2025 (12:00am)

I lift my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2

A few years ago, my family moved here from the state of Washington. We lived on the West side of the state about 45 minutes south of Seattle in a town called Puyallup (if you want to impress people, learn how to pronounce that one…it is “Pew-ALL-up”; emphasis on ALL).

Now that we have that lesson down, you’re welcome, no one will know you’re a tourist when you visit. Anyway, it truly is one of the most beautiful places, especially when the “mountain is out,” as the locals say. If you’re familiar with the Pacific Northwest, you probably know there is a lot of rain. Temps in the 40s and 50s with overcast skies are typical from about October through May. Every now and then the clouds will disperse, revealing brilliant blue skies as a backdrop to the glorious magnificence of Mount Rainier. Even people who live there never get used to it. It is truly breathtaking.

Every day I would go out for my walk (rain or shine) and hope for a glimpse of the mountain. If I was lucky, I would catch a peek of it popping through the clouds. Neighbors would discuss the weather by saying “Ooh, it’s so nice, the mountain was out today!” We would long for those days. During those fall and winter months, the mountain would seem to hibernate, but sure enough when summer arrived, so did that beautiful mountain. We’d get to experience what we had been waiting for; the genuine awe of a piece of creation that can’t really be explained with words or pictures.

We all knew it was there even when it couldn’t be seen. How did we know that? How did we know it would still be there when the clouds took a break? We knew it because we’d seen it before. We had experienced its magnificence. And THAT was just a mountain.

A mountain that was created…by God. I think one of the reasons that God gives us his creation is to better understand Him. Like the mountain, God has a presence that is unlike anything else; grand, glorious, beautiful, mysterious, filled with splendor and awe! But the clouds of life, the overcast skies, the grayness of life, well, they can tend to cause us to forget that God is there…especially if it has been a long couple of seasons. It is only by having experienced HIM that we can know He IS still there, has always been there, and longs to show us His glory.

So, if life is giving you cloudy vibes and you’re feeling stuck in the gray, hold on to the hope that summer is coming, and you will see that your “Grand Mountain” never went anywhere.