The Highest Mountain

This is an essay I wrote just a couple of months ago. During one of the blizzards in March, a friend challenged me to write an essay on what I would be doing if it wasn't snowing, and I could do anything I wanted. This is what I came up with. It isn't a conventional answer by any means, but it's what was (and is) on my heart.

The Highest Mountain

Have you ever looked at a mountain and felt a shiver of awe and fear race through you as you considered how much bigger God must be to have created something so magnificent? Or been on some high place looking down a cliff into the valley below, and felt that somehow that might be how God feels when He looks out from His throne to watch us? It fills you with a sense of insignificance when you realize just how mighty God is; but it also makes you feel chosen and honored when you see how much He loves you. He created the heavens and the earth, not only for His enjoyment, but for ours. Every time I look out at His creation, I'm filled with an intense desire to explore and discover it all. In this life, I may never get much further than exploring the forests in our state parks; but someday, when the heavens and earth are made new, I want to spend every single day investigating and discovering new things. As someone once said, "If I can't learn in heaven, I don't want to go there." Or, as Martin Luther said, "If God had all the right answers in His right hand, and the struggle to reach those answers in His left, I would choose God's left hand." As humans, we are filled with intense curiosity, and a deep longing to learn. Because of the Fall, sometimes this longing is for sinful things; but one day it will be returned to the pure love of learning that God intended it to be, and we will be able to discover new things forever. Someday, I want to climb the mountains and see if I can capture the feeling of power that God knows when He looks down at us. I want to explore the outermost galaxies and find out why the stars burn so brightly. I want to travel to the depths of the ocean to see the creatures that are only known by their Creator. I want to climb trees, go white-water rafting, cross the ocean, run through fields full of flowers, and listen to the birds sing their songs of praise. I want to explore secret passages in castles, investigate caves to see what sorts of creatures live there, and see the kinds of underground mazes moles and gophers make. I want to see ancient civilizations resurrected; to see how the Phoenicians came up with their language; to live in ancient Rome, in all of its beauty and without the corruption, and learn from some of the early Christians; to stroll by the Sea of Galilee; and to visit Jerusalem and walk where Jesus walked. I want to talk with some of the greatest scientists, politicians, and theologians of all time. I imagine discussing gravity with Isaac Newton; conferring with George Washington about the U.S. Constitution; and talking with Derek Prince about the state of the apathetic church in America during the 20^th and 21^st centuries. I can envision talking about missions with William Carey, Amy Carmichael, and David Brainerd. I could ask the apostle John to explain Revelation to me. I would love to talk theology with C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, and Martin Luther. Any disagreements that would come up could easily be solved simply by asking Jesus Himself.

Even more than any of this, I long for the day I will reunite with those who have gone before me. I dream of running into my grandpa's arms, and hearing of all the things he did while he was waiting for us. I can almost hear Grandpa Jackson's laugh as he teaches Carl how to fly fish. I can't wait to see the young man Joshua Mphosi may have become, and the lovely woman Margaret still is. I want to get to know Rachel, the cousin I never met, and walk on the streets of gold with some of my best friends.

In the meantime, I will press on. I still dream of the day when sin and corruption will finally be destroyed, but until then, I will continue to explore right here where God has placed me. I love biking through the trails at state parks, hiking through mud and weeds to get a better look at the river, and throwing baseballs hard enough to sprain fingers. Some of my favorite activities are wrestling and racing my brothers. We have water fights in thunderstorms until we're laughing too hard to stand up. We'll throw a football as hard as we can and see if one of us can run fast enough to catch it. Don't get me wrong; I love the quiet times when I can sit and study God's word. Searching the Scripture and reading theology books are a favorite pastime during the winter. But as long as there's a world to explore and a life to be lived, why should I always be sitting inside? If the heavens declare the glory of God, I want to know what they're saying.