A cloudy mountaintop isn’t what we usually think of when we imagine a mountaintop experience. Sometimes, things in the valley aren’t any clearer from the mountaintop. But even on a cloudy mountaintop, we can gain a perspective of the nearness of God.
Would you believe it if I told you that I took this picture from the top of a mountain this weekend?
Not the mountaintop experience most of us think of, right?
This past weekend Charity and I went to Tennessee with her sister, Sadie, for a backpacking trip with another one of her sisters, Grace, who lives in Tennessee. Her sister, Faye, and Faye’s boyfriend, Eric, flew up from Miami and our Uncle Dave drove from Indiana for the excursion as well. We spent most of Friday getting to Grace’s home and then spent the remainder of the evening packing and prepping for the trip. We stuffed our backpacks with sleeping bags, mats, a change of clothes, food and other necessities. We slept quickly and set out Saturday morning ready for an adventure!
We spent Saturday hiking to the shelter that we had reserved for the night. It was cool and water from the trees drizzled on us most of the day. It didn’t dampen our spirits though because the forecast for the next day when we would hike to the mountaintop lookout showed only a chance of clouds. We were expectant and hopeful and enjoyed one another’s company as we made our way to the shelter.
After our night at the shelter and a scrumptious bacon breakfast, we set out mid-morning on Sunday to climb to the top of Mount Cammerer. Our hopes of a clear day dwindled down as we climbed up the mountain where the clouds refused to recede. We eventually reached the top and visited the lookout tower, but we couldn’t see much other than the all-encompassing cloud that surrounded us. We took our leave and finished our trip down the mountain.
After a long day of hiking up and down the mountain, we grabbed burgers and ice cream in the valley where the sun was shining richly. We talked and laughed and reminiscenced about our journey. We made our way back to Grace’s home where we showered and slept soundly after our cloudy mountaintop experience.
Most of us think of the mountaintop as an awe inspiring experience that brings piercing clarity, deep satisfaction and life-giving fullness. It is the place of the extraordinary while the valley is home to the ordinary. It is the view that brings clarity because you can see everything.
But sometimes you climb to the top of a mountain and things are just as cloudy or even cloudier.
We spent two days hiking and many more planning for this trip. Just because we hiked to the top of the mountain only to see the inside of a cloud doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have climbed the mountain. It doesn’t mean we were wrong to pick this weekend for a backpacking trip or this particular mountain to hike.
Sometimes we can be going the right direction, on the right path, doing all the right things and life still isn’t clear. Things still don’t make sense. This or that thing still doesn’t seem to be working out.
We aren’t wrong for heading that direction or following that path or doing those things.
You see, our backpacking trip wasn’t as much about the destination as it was about the journey.
The journey together.
If the quality of our trip was measured by the view of our destination, then it was a flop.
But…
Because we measured the value of our trip by the presence and togetherness of the journey, it was a joyous adventure.
As Eric, who was hiking for the first time, said, “I’m never going to forget this trip!”
This trip isn’t unforgettable because of the views.
It is unforgettable because of the people, the memories, the journey together.
Who we hiked with mattered more than the view and the weather.
You see, life is less about the views you have and more about the people you get to view it with.
Whether you’re on the mountaintop or in the valley….
Whether you’re wandering in the desert or resting by the spring…
Whether you’re at the highest heights or the deepest depths…
It’s the people who are with you, the practice of presence, the gift of incarnation and embodiment that really matter.
And ultimately it is Emmanuel—the God who is with us—that matters most.
This is what the psalmist David was getting at when he wrote Psalm 139.
No matter where we are or what happens to us, God is with us. He is near us. He is journeying with us.
He put on flesh to make that abundantly clear to us.
And that changes everything.
So, the question is…
Does your life reflect the reality of God’s presence with you?
Is your contentment, joy, peace, love determined by the things you do, the stuff you have or the things people say about you…
Or is it determined by the nearness, the faithfulness, the love and compassion of the God who is with you?
I encourage you…
Find rest in His presence today.
Invite Him to make you more aware of His Spirit.
Whether you’re on the mountaintop or in the valley…
Drink deep of the Living Water.
Remain, abide in the Vine.
Make your home in the Father’s arms.
Walk, live in the Spirit.
And if you aren’t yet journeying with Jesus…
Change the path you’re on, the way you’re going and join Him in the way everlasting, in life eternal.
Charity, Grace, Sadie, Faye, Eric and Uncle Dave, thank you for your presence. This trip certainly wouldn’t have been the same without you. I am grateful for each of you and love you all deeply.
Author:
Hi, I’m Keagan! Some of my friends call me “Keags” though! My wife, Charity, is the C to my K. I am loved by Jesus and am in love with Jesus! I am passionate about others fully knowing and loving Jesus and living life in His unforced rhythms of grace. Read more of my writing here.
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Featured Photo by Keagan