01/12/2023
I stumbled on my love for traveling while I was searching for an escape from grief and depression. I felt like I was suffocating in my “normal,” mundane life.. but when I’m in a place I’ve never been before, meeting people and experiencing food and cultures that are new and different, my lungs feel open and full… I can breathe. I always say for me, traveling is spiritual. I get to see God in people, places and I’m reminded that his love is so big, deep and wide that I cannot see it all, tell it all, experience it all… but it doesn’t hurt to try.
I’ll share my testimony of how travel saves (plural tense) me at another time. I’ll share how, on many occasions, God talked to me in nature, and through people. But… I promised to share my testimony on Mt. Fuji during my recent trip to Japan so here it goes.
We left Tokyo, got on a tour bus, drove 3 hours or more through the Japanese mountains and country side to see Mt. Fuji, one of 3 sacred mountains in Japan, an active volcano and the country’s tallest peak. Imagine a tour bus of about 50 people (plus hundreds of others on the mountain), looking forward to seeing this wonder, but when we get there we see Exhibit 😢. (See pics)
It’s cloudy, cold, there’s a dusting of snow in the air, probably snowing on the mountain, so we can’t even see it. How disappointing! All that for nothing.
We went into the gift shop, looked around for maybe an hour, and returned to find Fuji still hiding behind the clouds. We were given a time to return to the bus, so decided to call it a loss and head back. We didn’t see Fuji, but we were there, counts for something, right?
My friend and I start walking to the bus, our backs turned to the mountain, and we hear people gasping, now smiling taking out their phones snapping pictures, happy and excited that the clouds were clearing and the mountain was visible again.
Disappointment turned into joy… and I’m glad we got to experience Mt. Fuji in all its splendor. 🏔️
As I stood looking on the mountain only one thing was on my mind… even though we couldn’t see the mountain for the better part of an hour… it was still there. IT. WAS. STILL. THERE.
I mentioned above that travel is an escape for me, and even during this trip to Asia I was dealing with so much that caused me to feel heavy, but in those moments at Mt. Fuji, God reminded me that even when I don’t see Him, He’s there. Even when I don’t feel Him, He’s holding me. Even when I don’t see prayers answered, He’s working on my behalf. He reminded me of his promise that He’ll never leave me nor forsake me… and if you’ve experienced abandonment and loss, that promise means a lot.
Later in the day we were chatting with a guy from the tour group about the events of the morning and he said verbatim (I took out my phone and wrote it down), “I was getting ready to walk away then all of a sudden the clouds just went away…”
Can you say my mind was blown… 🤯 and I wanted to do a shout, a praise dance on Mt. Fuji?????? I’m reminded of a song we used to sing on the choir:
There's been a change in me
Once blind but know i see
God gave me victory
And he did it suddenly
He changed the way i walk
He changed the way i talk
He changed my attitude
And he did it suddenly
Jesus did it oh yes he did and he did it suddenly
God changed me I'm not the same and he did it suddenly… suddenly SUDDENLY
There’s just something about that sudden turnaround! Than sudden breakthrough!
So many times I was also getting ready to walk away… but God rolled back the clouds. I’ve spent days trying to see through the clouds, months, years even.. but God always comes through.
This is my testimony on the mountain. If you’ve taken the time to read this far, I don’t know what the cloud is, that is obscuring your view of God… but I want you to remember that even on cloudy days, when you can’t see Him, He sees you, He’ll never leave you, He’s there and He always has His hands on you.
So many people missed seeing Mt. Fuji because they left and went back to the bus. But, dont give up. Don’t walk away.
As I encourage you, I also encourage myself.
“Trust in God, even when you can't see or feel His presence, no matter how dark or painful your situation is. Stay faithful, until God shows you His divine will.”
✨