From Disappointment to Joy
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” * Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV
One of the things I looked forward to with great anticipation on our recent trip to Switzerland was seeing the Matterhorn. At one point in my life, I even dreamt of climbing it, perhaps influenced by reading the book, Heidi, in the third grade. That heart-warming story captured my imagination, transporting me to the Alps along with Heidi, Grandfather and her friend, Peter.
The dream of climbing the mountain never materialized. However, it was still quite a thrill to actually find myself traveling through the Swiss Alps by rail. There was just one problem though. On the day our tour group took the train to the village of Zermatt just below the Matterhorn, storm clouds were piling up overhead. All of the towering peaks surrounding the town were hidden from view and snow was predicted for later in the afternoon.
Hoping the sky would clear up enough to catch a glimpse of the jagged peak, our leaders took us on the underground funicular to a popular viewing site high up on the side of a mountain. During the winter, skiers would ride up to that spot and then take a gondola further up before the challenging downhill run.
By the time we arrived at the end of the funicular line, it was already snowing on the Matterhorn and clouds completely obscured it from view. There was a blue frame on the edge of a stone wall to show its location. Usually the peak would be in the center of the frame… but not on that day. I stared through that frame for a long time, hoping and praying the rugged peak would appear. How disappointing!
Our guide Paula said she had been there several times during the summer and had gotten to see the mountain all but once. Evidently our timing was a bit too late in the season for a good viewing. Even though it was the beginning of September, the weather was getting cooler and fall in the Alps was already on the way.
While we were standing around, a group of young people arrived with rented bike-scooters that resembled bicycles minus pedals and seats. The daring riders were all helmeted, a good thing as some of them looked wobbly and unconfident at the top of the precarious downhill ride. Al and I wondered if some of them would end up walking their scooters down the mountain. Hopefully they all made it to the bottom in one piece!
On the way back to the hotel from Zermatt, a strong looking man with muscular arms sat across from us. He was a seasonal worker from Italy who was just finishing up his third summer there and was on his way home. His job involved laying down water lines above the city.
When I told him of our disappointing afternoon, he showed us several pictures of the Matterhorn. “I got to see it every day!” he said, adding he was happy to work in such a beautiful place. It was well worth the long laborious hours spent climbing up and down the mountain. At least we were able to see his pictures and share in his joy.
The best scenery was still ahead however, as we continued journeying by rail through the Alps. When we arrived at St. Moritz a few days later, the sky was a brilliant blue and the surrounding peaks were covered with fresh snow. Al and I had awesome views from every window in our hotel room. The beauty was breath-taking.
It surpassed my expectations of the Matterhorn and caught me by surprise. Someone from our group began counting other peaks that were just as imposing. We decided we saw at least five Matterhorns! As our Swiss guide Paula said many times during the trip, “Thanks God!”
Isn’t that just like our loving Heavenly Father, who takes our disappointments and surprises us with joy? Oh, to trust Him more…we will never be disappointed when our eyes are on Him.