Recently, I had the wonderful pleasure of traveling to Phoenix, Arizona on business. While I have traveled to quite a few places in my life, the great state of Arizona has always seemed to elude. That’s not to say that I have never wanted to go to Arizona. Great golf, beautiful scenery, and not to mention the excitement of the “party-crazed” campus of Arizona State University all provided their illustrious appeal. However, until recently, my itinerary had never landed me in the “vacationer’s Mecca” of Phoenix.
One day during my trip, I found myself with some much needed and well deserved free time. The hustle and bustle of the airports, the confusion of time differences, and the tiring repetition of attending various meetings had begun to wear on me. So this time to myself was eagerly received. Although I wasn’t sure exactly what I would do with a few extra hours, I knew that I needed to make every minute count. Therefore, I jumped in my car and just started to drive. I had no particular destination in mind. I just drove and drove. I made left turns and right turns. When I had the urge to keep straight, I did so without knowing exactly where I was headed. As I was driving I noticed that I was getting higher and higher. While I didn’t have a particular destination in mind, I had come to the realization that I was now driving up Phoenix’s South Mountain. Coming from Texas, I am not accustomed to driving up the sides of mountains. And if I was accustomed to such a thing, I am sure that my childlike fear of heights would prevent me from doing such a thing willingly.
My drive up the mountain was a nervous one. Each time I peered over the side of the mountain, I fearfully imagined myself accidentally careening over the side of the mountain to my death. I was terrified. I wanted to turn back. And the more that I wanted to turn back, the more I heard that calm voice say, “Keep going. I’ve got you.” After several minutes of debating with the voice as to why I should turn back around, I noticed that I had gone thousands of feet up and had now reached the top of the mountain. Stepping out of the car, I marveled at the beauty that stood before me. I prayed and simply said, “Thank you God for being with me.” And although it took every ounce of me not to turn back during that fearful drive up the side of South Mountain, it was upon its summit that I learned one of the most powerful lessons in my life:
God has been wanting to take me to new heights professionally, personally, and most of all spiritually. However, my fear of not being in control prevented Him from doing so. But now I realize and believe that He has me covered. And since I came to that realization my life has taken off.