I’m recognizing that sometimes time off is necessary in order to live and learn and listen to all is happening around me.
Alaska’s short summers are not wasted as most Alaskan’s spend every spare minute enjoying the great outdoors. There are mountains to climb, salmon to catch, wildlife galore, and roads full of RV’s, campers and fishing boats headed in every direction.
Mostly, there are the many people you run into en route to your own destination; some locals and many tourists visiting from all over the world. I find it fascinating to chat with these folks; you can learn a lot in an impromptu conversation with those met along the way.
Just as clearly as you can hear the songs of God along the mountain trails or hear the whisper of His Spirit blowing off the shores of the ocean, so can you hear the song of each passerby if you stop to listen.
I have spent a lot of time listening.
Sometimes those with me are not happy that I stop to listen; but I stop anyway.
Some of the songs I have heard have touched my heart, giving me new glimpses of God’s amazing glory, grace and love.
On the top of Mount Marathon I met a doctor from Alabama, who also wrote a book about an old native Alaskan he met many years ago. The stories he shared of the rough life and the great passion of a native who has faced many great challenges were incredible. The doctor comes back to Alaska every year to reenergize and to be inspired for his own life’s calling.
There was also a feisty group of tourists from England who had been together long enough to know how to annoy one another. Even so, they were excited that I was willing to take a group picture of them as a keepsake of their time together. They were more than happy to talk to me and my friends as an outlet to vent to someone outside of their own familiar group. They were seasoned and real and beautiful.
One does not need to be on a mountain or standing by the ocean to hear the song of another. I sat in a restaurant, listening to the song of the waiter, as he shared the sadness of being apart from his family for the summer. In his noble effort to provide for his family's needs, he had missed important milestones in his daughter’s life, including her first steps.
Listening to the song of others is teaching me to embrace all types of music. Often, listening to the song of others makes me realize that my own song isn’t always meant to be shared. Just as it’s difficult to both run in a race and cheer for others running in the race; sometimes we must chose instead to stand along the race course and cheer.
Whatever you are walking through or working through in your own life, I pray two things. I pray that God will place a person in your path who takes the time to hear your song. I pray also that you might have the opportunity to look deep into the eyes of another and see the beauty of God, as you listen to the song of His beloved.
Stay the Course…
Sheila
