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Hilltop view
As I stood at the peak of the hill behind my neighborhood, heavy with breath after running, I admired the great beauty of each surrounding town. It was twilight, and, as a preview of the stars that would soon sparkle above, the lights below indicated people still hustling and bustling around while the daylight faded. A refreshing breeze blew and added to an impressive view.
I had returned home for spring break from college and had been keeping active by running through my neighborhood each day that week. Each run I went on finished with an exhausting trek up a seemingly never-ending hill. While I ran, I took time to give gratitude for the day and reaffirm the close, unbreakable relationship that I have with God, as His creation.
Was I really the only one experiencing beauty and fulfillment in those moments?
This evening, however, I became discouraged. I was frustrated that nobody else was with me to enjoy the awesome view. I’d had this same feeling in the past when I traveled abroad and also while I worked in a behind-the-scenes role with a sports team. It didn’t seem fair to me that I could be a part of such neat experiences, and that my friends and family couldn’t participate beyond listening to what I described to them later. I was basically feeling guilty even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong; I was just enjoying my surroundings.
While I stood at the peak of the hill, I realized that there was a misconception in my thinking. Was I really the only one experiencing beauty and fulfillment in those moments? Was I essentially saying that I alone was capable of witnessing God’s majesty during those times? From my study of Christian Science I knew that God would never deny any of His ideas access to the constant presence of beauty and harmony. I thought of this quote from Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “… whatever blesses one blesses all …” (p. 206).
It occurred to me that while I was experiencing beauty and grace in one way, others were simultaneously experiencing God’s goodness in other ways. God demonstrates peace, harmony, and beauty in unique ways for each individual. As His creation, it is our right to witness this awesomeness in our own individual experiences.
This realization brought a calm over me, and I immediately gained a sense of peace. I looked out from my hilltop spot once more. My standpoint had not changed, but my viewpoint sure had. There was nothing else left for me to do but to thank God for this growth in spiritual understanding and to head back home. I am so thankful to God for this experience and for the many others I’ve had like it.