Storms

This picture is deceiving. The chipmunk is actually looking over the edge at one of the most spectacular views in the world (and he has very good balance!). I took his picture on a mountain in Jasper, Alberta on a day I will never forget. It was a beautiful, warm summer vacation day in Jasper and our family set out to travel on "Canada's longest and highest aerial tramway".

From the upper station...complete with restaurant, gift shop, washrooms....(untouched nature!)... you overlook 6 mountain ranges as far as your eyes can see, glacial-fed lakes, and the Athabasca River - impossible to take it all in with a basic digital camera!

Incredible views. No mountain climbing apparatus required!

At 2277 metres above sea level you become aware of how barren it is....there are suddenly no trees....even the shrubs disappear. All that remains are rocks and beautiful tiny alpine plants. We decided to walk to the summit of Whistler's Mountain - perhaps a 30 minute trek, plus stops to catch our breath as the air got thinner. My son really wanted to say he had stood on the top of a mountain, and of course we wanted to see the scenery from the other side.

Though the sun was shining and it was relatively warm, I noticed a black cloud over another mountain range.

We continued, stopping to take in the views, when we realized that black cloud was quickly advancing. We hoped it would pass by us.

We were a little over halfway to our destination when suddenly the warm summer weather changed instantly to a freezing windstorm! The darkness settled in as the cloud descended over us. The wind howled with such force we had to hang onto each other to keep ourselves upright as a mixture of hail, sleet, and freezing rain beat down on us. I instinctively crouched over my daughter trying to cover her with my light jacket as she shivered on a boulder. I suddenly realized just how bleak it was on that mountain without any protection from the elements, unless of course you were a chipmunk or marmot who can dive into a rocky crevass. Suddenly, a blinding flash of too-close lightning cracked the air, followed immediately by a DEAFENING boom of thunder that reverberated over and over again throughout the mountain ranges. Screaming and PANIC!!!People began to run down the mountain towards the station. I looked up at those whose sillouettes were barely visible at the very top of the mountain and I feared for their safety. I wondered how you get medical help up there fast enough for someone struck by lightning. At that point, I was glad we hadn't made it to the top. People went slipping and sliding by us with flip-flops and sandals on their feet. (I'm sure they were specially made 'hiking' flip-flops...). You could easily spot the seasoned mountain climbers. They were the ones in hiking boots who had pulled protective gear from their backpacks...ready for any weather they would face on the side of a mountain. It's one thing to be on the ground and frightened in a lightning storm. But I have never felt so vulnerable in a storm as that day....to be at such a height that you were actually 'in' the cloud next to the lightning...and having absolutely no shelter close by....it was a terrifying moment.

Why DO storms have to happen anyways? I understand the need for rain...but why the ferocious storms that knock the wind out of you and terrify you? I don't have an answer. But I know the rain falls on the good and the bad....sometimes bad stuff happens to good people.

My mind goes to that story of Jesus....sleeping in the bottom of the boat in the middle of the storm, while his buddies were terrified and wondering why he didn't care. I'm thinking he shook his head at them as he got up and spoke to the wind and the waves to calm down. And they did. (Wow). He was disappointed in them for not just trusting him. I want to be like the seasoned mountain climbers, prepared as best they could, and not surprised at the storms. I want that kind of peace that trusts....no matter how bad the storm that's swirling around me....even if I die in the storm.....a peace that can't be understood is available for those who trust...in the One who speaks to storms and they stop when he wants them to.

"...soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” The Bible (New Living Translation) Mark 4:37-41

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

The Bible (New Living Translation) Philippians 4: 6-7