The Mountains or the Mall?

Have you ever seen the Ko’olau Mountains on Oahu? They are so MAJESTIC!! I can hardly take my eyes off them when I’m there! One year, we stayed in a house at the foot of the mountains. The living area was lined with windows and my eyes were constantly drawn up to the mountain peaks above us.

A poem in the Bible says “"I lift up my eyes to the mountains--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 NLT

It’s a beautiful idea to lift our eyes to the Lord for help in times of trouble, but usually, our first instinct…

- the rest of the story -

…in any kind of hurt (loss, illness, depression, loneliness, isolation etc), is not to look up. It’s to look for a “bandaid” to cover the hurt. Two of the most common are… to look for a way out, or search for ways to reduce the pain.

What is your main way of dealing with difficulties and hurt? My first instinct is to find an escape route. In Elementary school, when a yelling, ruler-slapping substitute teacher made the toughest boy in the class cry, I ran away from school at lunch time and walked home.

And to this day, when things are hard and painful, my first thought is “How can I get out of this?” My favorite way to escape is by planning trips I’ll never really take. I can spend hours planning where I’ll go, where I’ll stay and even reading menu’s and planning out what I’ll order to eat!

If we can’t escape our pain, many of us find something that reduces the pain, even if only temporarily. Do any of these sound familiar? Depressed: treat myself to a shopping spree, or at least to a whole tub of ice cream. Insecure: Go ahead and flirt with a co-worker just this once to get a little positive encouragement. Lonely: Watch a good romance movie, or read a romance novel and imagine I’m the one that ends up happy and loved. Isolated: Get on an app and chat with anyone you can find.

However, neither escaping nor dulling the pain really bring any hope of help or peace in the midst of difficult circumstances.

When I stood looking out those windows on Oahu, to the far right was a very large old plumeria with no leaves except a few at the top and one bunch of deep pink flowers. Each morning the light sparkled through the petals. While my eyes were drawn upward to the mountain in front of me, those sparkling petals drew my gaze. I never lost track of the backdrop of that majestic mountain, but my eyes were fixed upon the bright pink flowers right in front of me.

Those plumerias gave me a perfect illustration for the most helpful way to deal with hurt. When I keep my eyes on Jesus, just like those sparkling plumeria flowers, He keeps me focused on the truth of where my help truly comes from. It doesn’t come from escape, or from my own solutions or through unhealthy momentary choices, but from his loving majestic presence.

In 1922, Helen Howarth Lemmel wrote a song titled “Turn Your Eye’s Upon Jesus”. It’s been published in many Hymnals but also recorded by many modern day recording artists including Lauren Daigle (two time Grammy Award winner and Nominated for the 56th Dove Awards “Artist of the Year” 2025.) You can hear this rendition in a playlist at Art Lifting Hearts YouTube Channel.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

“O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free!”

As I rest in the truth that my help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth, my heart begins to fill with peace. And the more I fix my eyes on Jesus, the more peace I experience.

“But how does the Lord help me?” you may ask. “He hasn’t removed my trial. He hasn’t solved my problems.”

This is often true. He doesn’t always remove or solve our trials, but he sees you! He walks through these times with you. He always keeps his promises to you. His help comes through the abundant freedom and life that he gives us through Jesus. Jesus is the light in the darkness of all that we struggle through.

It’s taken a lot of years, but I’m learning to strip away the urges to run and try to escape (most of the time). I’ve learned that my own devices are not satisfying… at least not for very long. Now in my most desperate hours, instead of seeking an escape, I lift my eyes upwards.

I focus on Jesus.

You can too. If you’re looking for peace in the midst of difficult circumstances, lift up your eyes to the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth. His help is real.

Also, don’t forget the people around you. There are certainly people in your life struggling with the exact same thing. When the opportunity arises, be ready and willing to share with others how you are lifting your eyes up to Jesus. You will inspire them to do it as well.

Lifting our eyes to Jesus, is the one true help we can rely on in this life.