Mountaintops

Name your most profound mountaintop experience. Chances are that God was there making it all happen.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up on a mountaintop. What mystery would now be revealed was their wonder. And there, before their eyes, brilliance! Jesus dazzled them again. This time he radiated the very grace of God. Then Moses and Elijah appeared before them. Their knees buckled in homage to the happening. It was glorious. They were spellbound. Would that they could have stayed there forever. But, that was not to be. (Matthew 17:1-9)

I recall some of these mountaintop events most vividly in my life as well. One was actually on a mountain in California. There, my encounter with God, gave me a renewed passion and power for who I am and what I do. Another was in two different delivery rooms with my wife as two incredible miracles happened.

You, undoubtedly, recall these events in your lives as well. There was something so profound, so stimulating, so enlightening that you knew that God had just happened to you. You connected with a reality that hopes are born from and for.

Mountaintop experiences are terrific. They feel good. We wish we could be there always. But... we are not. We all leave the mountaintops as quickly as we had arrived. Sometimes we even feel some disappointment. Truth be told, the mountaintop was not a gift to live in. It was a gift to point us to the reality of God in our world, in our lives, in our souls. And, then they point us to bring that reality to the world around us.

On the mountaintop, hope becomes real. And, that reality is intended to empower and motivateus to invite others into that reality. If the invitation is not extended, then the mountaintop might just have been a waste. And, we just might find those events coming with fewer frequency.

Go up to the mountain. Invite Jesus to go along. Listen to him. Wait for the wonder. Then, give it to those around you through who you are and what you do.

Feeling the blessing, the power, the Kingdom of God.