Choosing to SEE... The Great Wall.
The day we went touring in Bejing for the "Barely-Scratch-the-Surface-of-Bejing-Tour" was the most overcast, rainy day of our trip.
We got these fashionable, functional, but most of all FUN rain ponchos to keep us dry. I requested blue so I could keep the BLUEBERRY theme going from our trip to Clingman's Dome. << read about it there.
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| The Rainbow Gals! |
Some of our team members who had previously been to The Great Wall were quite disappointed with the view or lack thereof, but I kept reiterating that the important part of the journey was the fact that we were there, not so much the view, but the experience of being on THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!
Since I've been home I looked up the section of The Wall that we toured online.
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| The Day We Were There |
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| What We Would Have Seen on a Sunny Day |
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| Foggy Day |
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| Sunny Day |
We chose to have a great day at The Great Wall. It was rainy, wet, and humid and we loved it because we chose to. Choosing our emotions instead of being controlled by them is a life skill I have yet to master, but constantly practice. It's something I try to teach my children. I know this skill is necessary, not primarily for dealing with rainy days, but dealing with cruel, harsh, and relentless realities of life.
What do you CHOOSE to SEE?
"Choosing to SEE, A Journey of Struggle and Hope" is the title of Mary Beth Chapman's book which came about from very painful experiences of her life which led to the amazing ministry of Maria's Big House of Hope . An excellent article about the writing of the book and a review of it can be read here. If you've not read it, I highly recommend it.
We all choose every single day.
I'm reminded of God's Word which encourages us in our afflictions:
II Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
What a wonderful experience for you!
ReplyDeleteLove how you came home and took time to 'see' what you were supposed to see.
This book is on my wish list - maybe for Christmas? Thanks for recommending it.
Have a blessed weekend!
What an important and powerful life lesson! I'm still a work in progress when it comes to "choosing", but I am learning. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and these amazing pictures! -Anna
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