How Great Thou Art

When you live in Juneau for most of your life, it is very easy to become accustomed to amazing and awe-inspiring scenes that surround our everyday life. Unless you leave and experience other places, the grandeur of the mountains and sea surrounding us becomes dull and normal. Sometimes all it takes is a tourist, starring in awe up at an eagle to remind me that I am taking something amazing for granted.

Recently, Quinn and I hiked up our local ski area, Eaglecrest, to the very top of a ridge that - during winter - is flooded with skiers and snowboarders. This bright and sunny evening however, we were mostly alone as we hiked the last bit up.

After rounding a corner, we heard a rustle in the underbrush and feared that it was a porcupine. Quinn picked up Greta in a quick motion and all three of us stared into the trees. A small ptarmigan and its little chicks were in the brush, looking out at us with watchful eyes. Greta wanted so badly to go and make friends with them, but we decided it would be wiser to go up the trail a bit before putting her down to walk again on her own.

Here in this picture you can see how well the Alaska state bird hides in the brush of the mountain. If they hadn't moved around, we wouldn't have even known they were there!

We hiked up this same trail for the Southeast Alaska Odyssey movie, back when Quinn and I were only dating (of course at that time we were hiking with a whole load of instruments as well!). Thankfully, we didn't have much to carry besides Quinn's camera bag this time around, and before we knew it we were at the top.

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur,
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Saviors God, to Thee.
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Both sides of the view were beautiful, causing Quinn and I to sit and sing together in worship. Unromanticly, we were chased off from our nice views by a plague of mosquitoes and we had forgotten to bring bug-spray.

On the way back down we found a patch of leftover snow from the winter, still holding on despite the sun shining above it. Greta had not yet experienced snow (and she still really hasn't, since it was more ice than snow) and she loved running around in it!

She also adored the soft bed of heather that covered the mountain top, jumping through it like a rabbit to our endless enjoyment:

The view of Juneau met our eyes as we descended, shining like a gold coin in the sun.

On the way down I picked a bouquet of flowers and pondered upon the words of How Great Though Art. Even more amazing than the  mountains and views we had seen was the fact that God had sent His son to die for my transgressions. I am as unique and beautiful to God as one of the flowers that made up my bouquet, and its impossible for me to imagine the amount of love He has for me. What an amazing feeling, to be loved so absolutely by someone I have failed so many times in my life - and will still fail many more times! Yet He loves me.


I never want to take God's love for granted, and I encourage you to ponder on the love of God today. His love is so vast, the ocean could not hold it. His love is so vast, the mountains pale in comparison. His love for you. 

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8