After the Summit

Growing Daily

After the Summit

In the summer of 2024, my older son and I stood on the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.  After the epic ascent, we were on top of the world — breathless, exhilarated... one of those moments we’ll remember forever.

The very next day, still riding that high, we traveled to Kings Canyon and descended into the valley below. It was there that my phone lit up with bad news:  my younger son had been in a serious motorcycle accident and was being rushed to the hospital.

In a single moment, everything shifted.  Celebration went silent.  Exhilaration gave way to anxiety and uncertainty. 

You might be familiar with the valley — not the geography, but the emotional descent.  Mountaintops of joy or spiritual breakthrough can give way to the depths of pain or worry without warning.  

The question isn’t whether we’ll face the lowlands, but who we’ll trust while we’re there.

Psalm 23:4 encourages us, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”

On the mountain, we felt on top of the world.  In the valley, we remembered who holds the world in His hands. 

God wasn’t more present on the summit, and the valley didn’t change His faithfulness.
One inspired praise; the other deepened trust.

He was there for both.


- Ron Reid