At the heart of me is a romantic who loves the sight of old architecture – buildings, bridges, archways, pathways…Europe is a visual feast for such things. We left Lucerne, Switzerland three mornings ago. Being there was like walking through a postcard.
We only had a day to spend in Lucerne but a day was just enough time to see the Dying Lion Monument, Old Town, Chapel Bridge, and Mt. Pilatus. How did we do all that is a wonder. But Edric and I are incredibly mobile without the kids. It’s like experiencing anti-gravity when you’ve been pulled down to the surface of the earth for so long. You realize you do all sorts of things without the weight. Don’t get me wrong. I love our kids and I miss them. But we can get done in five minutes what might take us thirty minutes when the kids are with us.
About a week ago, I looked up the weather in Lucerne for the day we would be there and it said, “cloudy.” Edric was so eager to go up Mt. Pilatus and so it was discouraging to discover that the weather would not be favorable to view the city and the lake below it. However, we knew God would do something. We have experienced the hand of God in the smallest details during this trip. Whether it be sitting beside people on a train who become our instant friends, or meeting people who go out of their way to help us get around, or making it to a train with five minutes to get to the platform, or being graciously allowed to check in to our room before check-in time, we have been so blessed to experience his presence as he goes before us to make Europe amazing.
The morning we arrived in Lucerne it was a bright and cloudless day. The sky was bluer than blue and the sun made it perfect for walking around. I was astounded. We had one day in Lucerne and God cleared the sky. We went crazy with the photos, taking pictures of the landscape, the buildings, the lake, the bridges, the sidewalks, the streets, the swans, the birds, etc.
With such promising weather, we decided to travel up to Mt. Pilatus. We were thrilled. The cable car ride was under repair but we didn’t care. Riding the cogwheel train was a unique experience. It was tilted at nearly 45 degrees up the slope of the mountain.
As we got closer to the tip, the sky changed from clear to cloudy. Oh dear. “Lord, can you please give us a blue sky again? I know you can do it. Thank you in advance.”
Well, the sky did not change. The sun shone through parts of it but God gave us something better. It began to snow! How could this be?! We had come from sunny and then three-fourths of the way up the mountain, we saw snow falling. It was like a dream.
The last time I had been in snow was on top of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, Canada more than twenty years ago. I had never seen it fall from the sky. Edric didn’t remember because he was such a young child when he was living in the U.S. At the top of the mountain, we were in awe.
Our idea of good was to have a clear sky. God’s idea of good was to let us experience something beyond our expectations.
At one point, Edric and I were the only people on the view deck of Mt. Pilatus beholding one of the most amazing sights we had ever seen. I couldn’t help but think that God had arranged a visual showcase of his glory just for us…to remind us that his good is always better than ours. Such is the good of God.
1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
