Two Wooden Benches

Two wooden benches perch side by side atop a steep mountain. At first glance, the reason for their existence is quite apparent. I’m sure many hikers have rested their exhausted legs and lungs upon these simple seats after such a climb. The perfect spot to guzzle water and feast on sprawling mountain views. However, when I think about these two benches now, I see something else as well.

There are benches all over the place. Once you realize it, you can’t help but begin to notice them everywhere you go. They offer relief from walking, rest during times of waiting or observing, comfort while reading or eating, a safe place to chat or bare souls.

Imagine all that the benches of this world have held.

There are benches deep in the heart of Texas where I watched my toddler play on a playground as I fed my baby. There’s a colorful artistic bench in Barcelona’s Park Guell where I sat inwardly crying out to God as I felt my life begin to shatter. There are old courthouse benches that have supported my trembling body. There are padded hospital benches that have provided me with a place to wait and pray. At one time there was an old wood and iron bench where I would sit and wait for the bus to deliver my oldest from school. There are picnic table benches and park benches where I’ve poured my heart out to a friend and where friends have reciprocated. There’s a bench on one side of our kitchen table that gets filled when we have all of our kids under one roof for a meal.

And there are two wooden benches on top of a mountain called Molly’s Knob in Virginia. They are situated with a view of Mount Rogers, the tallest mountain in the state. A peak, unbeknownst to us at the time, we would hike to in the future. Whitetop Mountain can be seen as well. A future place we would visit during our four-year anniversary celebration. But on this July day, they were just two beautiful mountains filling the panoramic view of two hikers resting beside two wooden benches. The bench on the right is where that single dad asked that single mom to pray with him. And then asked her to spend his life with him. Sure, it was hot, we were sweaty, and a rest on that bench was needed. And eminence elation certainly added to the dizziness. But who could ask for a more perfect placement of a bench? Yes, the uphill climb and mountain top view left me breathless. But the realization of what that moment meant beat the view and definitely took my breath away. 

And it would be hours later before I regained my breath. After a surreal hike down the mountain, walking on a trail that felt more like clouds than rocks, and spewing more southern ‘oh, my word!’s than can be counted. After delivering the news at a campsite where two little kids and two grandparents waited. Where a four-year-old boy jumped up and down and a five-year-old girl cried tears of joy at the realization of a daddy. 

You bet I exhaled deep gratitude and overwhelming awe. 

There are peaks and valleys throughout life. 

There are tough exhausting uphill climbs. 

There are mundane plateaus with no views. 

There are spectacular rewarding overlooks and relieving downhill descents. 

And I’m so thankful for the benches God provides along the way.

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