I recently got to mark “explore a gothic cathedral” off of my bucket list after my husband surprised me with a day trip to Sewanee, Tennessee.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love, fascination, and deep passion for gothic architecture, especially churches. Perhaps it’s the intricate artistry of the carved stone and stained glass; maybe it’s the comforting nostalgia of growing up in the Catholic Church, or maybe, just maybe, it’s because I am inspired to look up.

Either way, being able to experience the breathtaking beauty of All Saints Chapel with my favorite person was nothing short of magical.

As Daniel and I together began to take in this magnificent church, I found myself in a familiar battle between capturing the perfect photos and taking in the moment.

Gothic architecture, though hauntingly beautiful, wasn’t designed to just look pretty; it was intentionally engineered to pull a person’s eye and mind upward. The pointed arches and vertical lines were meant to remind us of our smallness while pointing to the infinite.

We spend so much time looking down—at our to do lists, our phones, our next steps. Sewanee is a place that forced me to look up, and for that reason more than any other, I fell in love with it.

At the end of our adventure, we stumbled upon some stone steps. We weren’t sure where they would lead, but what we did know is that we had to look up in order to move forward.

At the top of the steps, we came face to face with another manifestation of otherworldly beauty, a beauty that reminded us once again to never stop looking up.

A small piece of the church was brought home—a sandstone rock, the same material the church is made from. It’ll be a tangible reminder of a day spent between the stone walls of a chapel and the stone steps of a mountain—both pointing to the exact same sky.

Sometimes to look up

is the hardest thing.

Too concerned with what

the future will bring.

.

Afraid to look away

from my own two feet,

worried about an obstacle

I assume I’ll meet.

.

I’ve looked down too often

trying to get ahead;

my Father reminds me

to look up instead.

.

Not down, not ahead,

not back at what’s been.

Look up to the Lord

and His presence within.

.

Looking up means

relinquishing my grip,

without a concern

for whether I’ll trip.

.

So the next time you’re tempted

to look down at the ground,

just remember to look up

where peace can be found.

.

When we stop watching steps,

we learn how to fly,

in seeking God’s guidance

and admiring the sky.