From Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill, we drove on down US 12 to see more of the Outer Banks.  What a beautiful part of the world!  Our destination was Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  Along the way we stopped at Ft. Raleigh, where English settlers in 1585 were left behind on Roanoke Island – never to be seen again by returning Englishmen.  This spot is known as the Lost Colony.

Bodi Lighthouse was another stop, but since it was being refurbished and was surrounded by scaffolding, there was no opportunity for me to challenge myself to a climb.

Finally, in the beauty of the late afternoon sun, we reached Cape Hatteras Light.  I went to the museum, walked the grounds, passed the ticket booth three or four times . . . and finally went right up to the entrance to the light.  I chatted with the ranger for several minutes trying to determine if this lighthouse might be a more agreeable climb for me than the last one I attempted.  The ranger, perhaps sensing my fear, invited me to go in and take a look at the stairs.  “They are study and cast iron,” she said, “nothing to worry about.”  OK.  But there was still something to worry about – cast iron stairs didn’t take care of my fear of heights.

I stood debating with myself, wondering if I could do this.  But one factor weighed in . . . and was beginning to sway my decision.  From the base of the lighthouse there is no view of the beach or water.  The lighthouse light is visible for 20 miles out into the ocean, but to see the ocean at all, I was going to have to climb to some height.

I finally decided that if I was going to appreciate the grace of this moment, I was going to have to make an effort so that God could reveal it to me.

I went back and bought a ticket.  I climbed slowly, ever so slowly, but I made it to the top.  I was the person you may have seen with my backside plastered up against the wall of the lighthouse . . . fearing to step toward the railing’s edge.  BUT – I did see the view.  I did find the grace.  I did appreciate the beauty.

God will not do everything, and rarely is the climb easy, but there is grace in every step.