Back from the Mountains!

If it seems like I’ve been absent from this blog for a couple of weeks that’s because I have. Thankfully, Kim and I were able to take our annual trip to the cabin her parents have owned on Lake Pleasant in the Adirondack Mountains in New York, along with our daughter Joanna and her fiancée, Dan, and Nathaniel and his girlfriend, Sarah. The only downside of the trip was missing our son Jonathan and his wife, Danielle, who were not able to join us since they are expecting their first baby (and our first grandchild) within the next couple of weeks. (I guess, we’ll forgive them for not coming!) Oh, it was our dog Sadie’s first time up there.

Love it on top of the mountain!

As you can imagine, being on vacation by a lake in the mountains is quite a change of scenery and pace from what we normally experience throughout the year. The first view we catch in the morning is that of the lake, often with a low fog hanging over it; it is truly is a peaceful sight. Then there are the vistas to which we hike that give us views that stretch for miles. And of course, the pace is completely different; after all, when you’re on vacation by a lake in the mountains, the biggest decisions you need to make are what you will eat that day and whether or not you want to go for a hike, a swim, or just sit on the beach and read a book.

As the saying goes, however, “all good things must come to an end!” Thus, this past Monday Kim and I packed up our things and headed home. As we did, the temperature and humidity went up, the landscape became flatter and much more populated, and the nighttime sky seemed to be filled with many less stars. It was time for us to reengage with “the real world,” as we call it, and take on a little bit quicker pace of life. (Now that’s an understatement!). But come back from the mountains we must. After all, life is about much more than sitting by a lake on top of a mountain.  

 

Even Sadie made it up the mountain!

I’ve noticed that, going up a mountain and then coming down from that mountain seems to be a motif in the Scriptures. We read of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all going up onto mountains to worship, pray, and spend time with God. When they went up the mountain they got away from the regular routines of life and were thus better able to hear from God. On their mountains, they had some incredible experiences with God. However, none of them stayed on their mountain; the time came when each of them had to come back from their mountain into the “real world” in order to fulfill God’s call upon their lives, be a blessing to others, and do their part to move the Kingdom of God forward. 

 

In Matthew 14 we read of how, after a busy day, “(Jesus) went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone…” (vs. 23). But the next thing we read is of Jesus walking on water, rescuing his disciples from a storm, and then being on the other side of the lake. And we read these words: ^“People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” (vs. 35-36) I’m sure there were a lot of people there who were glad Jesus had come down from his mountain.

 

Let me encourage you today to do two things: (1) Take time to rest, catch your breath, and most especially spend time with God. Let going to your “mountain” be a regular part of the rhythm of your life; (2) Realize that God has a call on your life that can only be fulfilled when you come down from your mountain—people he wants you to bless, a message he wants your share, and a purpose he wants you to fulfill.

 

Have a great day!

 

Pastor Tim Harris