Mountains, orientation, familiarity


I was in an office building today and got a bit misdirected as I was finishing, and ended up leaving by a different door than the one I came in. I didn't realize it until I was outside, and then suddenly was looking at a strange parking lot. But after glancing around for a second, I noticed the position of the mountains and immediately was re-oriented, and was able to walk directly to my car.
The power of our mountains in this situation is their extreme visibility. However, that only works when combined with familiarity. I know the mountains of Utah Valley so well, after living here most of my life and climbing them all multiple times, that I can tell pretty close to my actual location just by the view of the mountains. However, drop me somewhere else where I'm not familiar and the mountains wouldn't be much help to me.
As I got in my car this morning, a great application of that principle occurred to me. Having some standards or ideals in our lives can help in orienting ourselves when we are uncertain or facing unexpected situations. However, it's important that the standards be clear, well-defined, and visible; and that we be very familiar with them, having thought through them carefully and frequently.
I #GiveThanks "for the strength of the hills" that inspires me every single day, and for the other mountains of certainty that bless my life.

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