The View

Goldie, on Cleeve Hill last week.

 

Being Dutch, there is something about heights. Standing on what feels like, the top of the world, looking around you for miles, with plenty of fresh air to recover from the climb up.

That is the one downside about climbing hills. It’s a long way up, sometimes steep, sometimes it’s more gradual, but I’m sure my Dutch legs and lungs weren’t made for hill climbing.

Last week, we went on Cleeve Hill, one of my favourite areas. It occurred to me, that in order to reach the top, you have to put in a lot of work. But the view will be worth it. Hopefully. Sometimes, there is no view at all, only thick, swirling mist, and you have to take the sign’s word for it that you have reached the summit.

The Malvern Hills, another amazing place for walking, can be discouraging. When you reach the top, with Worchestershire Beacon standing ready for you to cling onto, you can see another hill further along... I must confess, I have never made it to that one. One day, I will. Goldie will happily help me up the steep slope.

Then there is the descent. Treacherous, and sometimes, there is another little climb that can feel too much, as you’re supposed to be on your way down. It can also feel sad, after all the effort of making it to the top, the walk is over. Until the next time, when you have to start all over again.

Pixabay Picture of what would be a wonderful walk, without the stunning reward of A View!

Isn’t writing just like that? Some days, after a lot of hard work, and groaning How Much Further, you suddenly reach the summit. Maybe you’re holding a real life book. Maybe you’ve finally planned every chapter. The view might be great, or it might only be a great moment because others tell you it is.

Then there is the trudge down, like spellchecking, double checking facts, editing, marketing or anything else that feels like a come down after such an achievement. Or maybe, from the dizzying heights of one task done, you can see another path, going even higher.

Will all the work be worth it? Is it even about the view? Or even about reaching the summit or goal you have set yourself? Surely, it’s about the walk as well? Walking with God, being close to Him, spending time breathing His presence and filling our lungs with new Life?

There’s the looking back as well. Cleeve Hill is perfect for this. You can see where you were walking just a few minutes ago, and it seems like miles! Looking back, seeing God’s care for us, to have another look at glorious moments along the way, maybe before the mists swoop down and cover all the glory and the light and wonder, but the views are still there. The landscape hasn’t changed, the path hasn’t changed, God’s goodness hasn’t gone, but the mist might ruin it for you, if you let it!

I must admit, if I climbed all the way up a proper mountain, like Pen y Fan, only to be shrouded in mist, I would feel a little cheated. I would have to tell myself all kinds of sensible things, and remind myself of truth and all that, but I’d still be disappointed. So, this week, climb every mountain, stand proud on any summit, views or no, and just celebrate God’s gifts to us in writing and being creative.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. Because of her interest in writing, Maressa is part of Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion For Writing, an anthology encouraging people to write.

Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published in December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City, came out in December 2020, followed by Viking Ferry, a novella. Beyond the Hills is the second book in the Elabi Chronicles, and was released in 2021, followed by stand-alone novel Burrowed, released in 2022. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.