To the Cross

 There's a cross on one of the local hills that gets lit up at night,

shining as a beacon into the valley.

I tried taking a picture at night but, 

even though we could clearly see it with our naked eye,

the phone camera only picked it up as a large light. 

The landscape in this area has a different beauty altogether.

 This is near the parking lot

from where you can see part of the trail heading up.

 A very dry path, winding itself up and across a ridge and then up again.

There could have been snakes,

 but I only saw pretty flowers

blooming in the most unexpected places.

 The view from the top had me contemplating a passage I recently read 

where Jesus looks out over Jerusalem and weeps, saying,

"If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!" 

Luke 19:41.42

How deep the pain, that many of His own people did not recognize Him,
the One they had been waiting for.

May we, who know the whole story,
even like the thief on the cross who acknowledged his wrongs,
recognize our Savior today.
This is the peace that passes all understanding.