Mountain Tops

Ty and I are preparing for a trip to the Smokey mountains to celebrate our 33rd wedding Anniversary. We both love the mountains for a number of reasons; their beauty, the views they provide, and their glorious, curvy, meandering road trips we take almost daily. But, I think as I have grown what I find I love the most is the incredible spiritual lessons God never fails to give us right there in the midst of the mountain view.

Did you know that one of translations of the Bible's name for God, "El Shaddai" can be interpreted as "God of the Mountains." Now I know most interpretations of that word is "God Almighty" and that is right. But in other places in Old Testament Shaddai is translated mountain. I love that, given that God used mountains so many times in His teachings throughout the Word. Abraham ascends to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son, God reveals His name to Moses on Mount Sinai, Moses later receives the 10 Commandments on that very spot. Elijah returns to the same mountain also known as Horeb, to hear God's "still small voice." And from the very first of salvation history, we see find that mountains were a very special place that saints communed with God. The transfiguration took place by many account on Mt. Tabor.

Mountains top experiences are wonderful things in the flesh and in the spirit, I thank God for them because I know with every glorious assent there will be a soon to be descent.

The valleys.. They are as much a part of this life as the mountain top experiences; our own, our childrens, our husbands, work, and even the church we attend. We avoid failure like the plague, our culture has almost turned it into a sin. We CAN NOT fail. We want to only portray success. Us silly humans haven't changed much since Biblical times now have we?

Jesus' closest disciples Peter, John and James didn't want to see the failure of Jesus' ministry. Peter, the ever outspoken Peter, don't you just love him? He reminds me of myself way too often. Anyway, Jesus is telling them about the coming days, how He will be persecuted, shamed, rejected, and that in the end He will be killed and rise again. But Peter just couldn't understand or accept this teaching of failure and actually rebuked Jesus. Jesus looked him square in the eyes and said, "Get behind me satan!". Ouch, I have to wonder how many times I have said something to the Lord that has garnered the same response.

Failure, suffering and death was just too much for Peter to hear.

Just six days later they are on the mountain again and there Jesus was transfigured right before them and to add to that there was Elijah and Moses. Peter was experiencing the highest of high mountain top experiences one could imagine. That kind of experience where you never want to leave. If only you could just stay there huh?

Mary, the mother of Christ, now she truly experience what I would guess was the greatest of mountain top experience and the greatest of valley ones. Imagine Mary holding baby Jesus for the first time, what must her thoughts have been? Our God incarnated into this precious, soft, vulnerable little baby. Yeah, mountain top.

Then Mary stand at the foot of the cross where her son, the Son of God hanged, pierced and broken, and oh my how her heart must have felt the same. Then as she held that body, those same arms that held that baby, that promise. How could our God allow those same arms to hold two of the most profound experiences? The greatest joy and the most devastating loss.

The piece of scripture that helps my humanness understand is when from the clouds they heard, "This is my Son, whom I love, Listen to Him" What where they suppose to listen to? Jesus had already been speaking before his death of the upcoming suffering, God however speaking it now gave it divine revelation.

We humans tend to think of God in His heavenly glory or triumphant, without stopping to recognize He is that same God on the cross. We tend to want to recognize Jesus in His Glory but not in His suffering. To be silent and listen to Jesus reminds us that Glory and suffering can't be separated.

When we separate our success from our suffering we forget the Jesus on the cross. When we fear failure and suffering we forget the presence of God in our life's at that moment. Miracles, heavenly vision and such are not what creates faith. It's in the valleys we learn our greatest lesson and in that, our hope and faith start growing.

Yeah, I love the mountains. Always will, both physically and spiritually, but as I age I am learning that those are not what I should be seeking, because those will not cause me to grow more like Him. It's those valleys where the water flows and things grow.

I think on this vacation maybe we will take a ride through the valleys too, to remember it is there where I will grow.


"Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." (Hebrews 6:1,2)

New Year, New Blog

Sometimes we have to be pushed to move. I went back to my blog, which I haven't posted on in a long while, but reference a lot.. and it was gone. The blog is still there but all my postings are gone.

After Rita I lost so many of my writings, but those on my blog were safe never to be lost I thought.

So after tears, what can you do but move on. So it is.. So it shall be.. What shall it be? Who knows! There will be no set rules, I might talk to myself, I might write to my Lord, I might not come often, I might come everyday. There will be no pressure, no structure. And for me that is hard, but might very well be part of the lesson.

I bid adieu to pieces of moments in my life for several years, I move on. And start over.

And He says, "Look to the North" and I haven't a clue.. Interesting to watch how that plays out. Til' later...