Seeing is believing - July 13

I have gone up O Cebreiro multiple times, but I’ve never seen The Valley in its glorious splendor. That’s because I’ve always slogged my way up in the rain, mud on my face, sharing the trails with horses and their droppings. The best view I had was a misty one at the very top, with just maybe a kilometer of visibility. 

Yet friends shared glorious images in full sun. I’ve never had that. I often heard cow bells on the difficult walk up, but could never see the beautiful animals. I wondered if I ever would get to see this gorgeous land.

But today was sunny. And I saw it all. And it was beautiful. And once again I felt like it was a lesson. Not that patience or persistence will bear fruit. Many don’t have a chance to return after all. Not that I will be rewarded at the right time or when I was ready. 

My lesson is that the beauty was always there. I wanted it. I knew it. I was frustrated because I couldn’t see God’s handiwork. But that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Through the mist, through the rain, through the fog, the beauty was, is, and always will be there.

I don’t need to see the beauty to appreciate it. I just need to believe that God creates beautiful things. I don’t need to see it to believe it. I can just know God created it, and it is good.