Mountaintop Experience - February 5
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 69:1-23(24-30)31-38; PM Psalm 73; Isa. 56:1-8; Gal. 5:16-24; Mark 9:2-13
Today’s Reflection
Back when we were younger and had more energy and fewer responsibilities, Tyler and I would go on long drives on a Saturday or Sunday, whether just for the afternoon or longer drives that would take all day. When we lived in Texas the first time (from 1999-2004), we would regularly set out for some place like Enchanted Rock or Guadalupe River State Park in the Hill Country or Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast—destinations which took at least three hours each way to get to from where we lived in Bryan, Texas. But we enjoyed being able to get out on the road under the wide-open Texas sky so we could explore different corners of the great big state of Texas—as they like to say, it’s “a whole other country.”
All that time in the car was worth it because we had the chance to get outside of our normal neighborhood and routines to be inspired by the beautiful rocky landscapes of the Texas Hill Country—or, when we were feeling too landlocked in Bryan, spend time breathing in the salt air by the Gulf of Mexico on Galveston Island. These afternoon road trips always felt like a reset button on life, as we would return to our home in Bryan and our routines there feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on another week of responsibilities.
Last Saturday, Tyler and I finally made some time to take an afternoon road trip out to Cheaha State Park. We have been meaning to start exploring some of the Alabama state parks but hadn’t yet managed to make it anywhere outside of Birmingham. It can be hard to break the inertia that is staying comfortably at home—especially after a year of making a point to stay safely at home during a global pandemic. But finally, we made our way out to Cheaha. While I was not looking forward to a long car ride, as we began to get out of Birmingham and onto the open highway toward Cheaha, my heart began to feel lighter and I started to reflect on all the road trips we had taken in days past.
Once we turned off the interstate and onto the two-lane country roads that take you up to Cheaha, I felt inspired by the different trees and the incline as we began to get into higher elevation. A big part of why we were headed to Cheaha is because we wanted to go to the highest point in Alabama, and to be, if only for a few hours, up in the hills and small mountains of our new home state. We were getting close to the park when around the next curve in the road we saw an overlook, where we got out for a few minutes to enjoy the vista of the mountains on the horizon. And then, once we were in the park, we walked out on the wooden boardwalk to Bald Rock, enjoying the walk through the bare winter trees and the lichen-covered boulders as we made our way out to the observation deck to enjoy another sweeping, spectacular view of hills, mountains, and forests. There’s just something about being up on a mountaintop or at the edge of the ocean that sparks a sense of closeness with God and an appreciation for all the beauty, intricacy, and vastness of Creation.
As we read in Mark 9 today, this was the experience of Peter, James, and John when they went up to the mountaintop with Jesus and were present for Jesus’ Transfiguration—when he was gleaming in heavenly light while conversing with Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John felt so inspired and close to God that they never wanted to leave; they wanted to build three huts on the mountain for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so that they could make this mountaintop experience go on forever.
But God did not intend for their mountaintop experience—or ours—to last forever. Rather, these moments are gifts from God, meant to renew our faith and help us to hold onto it more faithfully when we return to our usual places and routines. As Henri Nouwen once said, “This is the experience of the fullness of time. These moments are given to us so that we can remember them when God seems far away and everything appears empty and useless. These experiences are true moments of grace.”
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
What landscapes do you find inspiring? What are some of your go-to happy places where you feel your spirit renewed and refreshed as you are reminded of God through the beauty of Creation?
Daily Challenge
Find some time to get outside into a landscape that renews your soul this week. Whether you take a walk around your neighborhood, a hike at a nearby park, or a drive to a destination further afield, commit to getting to a place—be it a mountaintop, a hillside, a forest, or a river—where you can have your own mountaintop experience.