Where Silence Speaks: The Stillness in the Grand Canyon
Disclaimer
First off, welcome! I can’t believe this is happening. Starting this blog feels like having so much weight lifted off of my chest. My goodness. Lol. Glory to God anyhow. I am so grate that you are here. This is my first blog, and I am learning as I go. I am asking you, reader, to give me grace and feel free to contact me with any tips. Come along for the journey and grow with me spiritually in Christ and as a blogger.
The Beginning
Before I can get into my amazing experience at the Grand Canyon, I should briefly share my testimony of how I even got to Arizona in 2022. Long story short, Holy Spirit lead me to move to Phoenix, AZ. I was in the career of my dreams traveling as an EKG Tech making more money than I thought possible for my specialty.
I will never forget the burden I felt to move. It was around the end of my first and only contract at the time in May 2022; I was in Omaha, NE working at Nebraska Medicine. I thought surely, if God is leading me to this specific state of AZ, then there must be a travel position/opening. There was none. The full-time positions in Phoenix at the time weren’t paying as nearly as much; to be honest it was less than half of what I was making.
Seeing those job postings, I thought surely this can’t be God leading me to AZ. Why would God lead me there, and then after days and days of praying I remember feeling like God was telling me I could either be obedient or not. So I accepted a job offer, booked a one way flight to Phoenix, and bought a car.
The important thing to remember is I wanted none of these things, the job, the car, staying somewhere permanent with rent…none of it. But what I truly wanted above all was to please God.
Grand Canyon South Rim: July 16, 2022
The Trip
The first thing I noticed when I got to Phoenix was how gorgeous it was. Nothing could have prepared me for the different colors of browns and reds, the mountains in every view, nor some of the best sun rises and sunsets anyone could lay their eyes upon.
I visited the Grand Canyon twice. Summer 2022 and then Summer 2024.The first time I was invited by a co-worker who’d also moved to Phoenix from Oklahoma when her parents came to visit. The drive to get to the Grand Canyon was an experience in itself to me personally. Of course being a person for the dramatics, I screamed at every turn because I was genuinely amazed. The scenery was jaw dropping to me. Rocky mountains on both sides of the interstate and the closer we got to the canyon the views switched from rocky dirt mountains to mountains filled with pine trees. The scent of pine filled the car.
When we arrived, I think the price at the time was about $10-$13 per car to enter the park. The first time I went we drove to every scenic view on the right side of the southern rim. I will never forget seeing the actual canyon for the first time. The best way to describe it would be to imagine realizing how big the world is and how small you truly are. The canyon is enormous but our God is bigger.
Grand Canyon South Rim: July 16, 2022
Even with all its beauty the thing I remembered most about the Grand Canyon is the silence. It was something I didn’t know I was missing from my life. The best thing I ever heard was absolutely nothing.
You don’t realize how much noise you hear on a daily basis. The humming of your A/C system, the TV, cars passing by, sirens from emergency vehicles, videos/shorts from social media buzzing of phones…the list goes on.
It felt so good to just be still in the stillness. Watching birds of prey soar was like having front row seats of Animal Planet. I took some moments to just sit in it, the silence that is…to seek the voice of God. I did not hear Him verbally but I saw Him in every ridge, color and crevasse. I was already someone that desired to see the world, the hunger to travel grew after the first trip.
Grand Canyon South Rim June 8, 2024
Recommendations
The second time I visited the Grand Canyon, I went with my mom and my sister. This time I parked at the visiting center and we took complimentary buses to all the views. I discovered there are sleeping lodges and actual restaurants. Annnnd a train that takes you to a village within the canyon where Native lives. Like huh?!? I felt betrayed lol.
We ate at one of the restaurants with a perfect view of the canyon, and I learned that the workers had housing while working there. I remember thinking I wouldn’t mind working at the Grand Canyon in the summertime, if I got the chance to see that kind of beauty everyday.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit, I recommend planning ahead and looking up the different lodging within the park, taking the train that goes to the village I mentioned earlier, horse back riding etc here.
I also suggest helicopter rides and jeep rides here, there are a lot of companies that host adventure tours but this site gives you a variety of price ranges.
Grand Canyon South Rim July 16, 2022
Final Thoughts
Both times I visited the Grand Canyon memories were made and a time was had. I do plan on visiting again…because there is no such thing as seeing it too many times. It’s worth it to me. The Grand Canyon made me grateful that Jesus sent me to Arizona. It was exactly what I needed because as I said earlier it sparked my hunger for adventure.
If you’ve ever visited the Grand Canyon, please share. I’d love to hear about your experience. If God has ever lead you to drop everything like Abram in Genesis 12:1 NLT and move somewhere, again, I’m all ears..well eyes in this case lol.
Until next time tribe.
Be blessed,
Z
Grand Canyon South Rim June 8, 2024
Grand Canyon South Rim June 8, 2024
