Another thing I’ve noticed in my travels is that it’s not just mountains that people want to climb.  There is always a race to get to the top of something. To the top of the mountains in Colorado.  To the top of a volcano in Hawaii.  To the top of the Empire State Building in New York.  What makes us use our money, our moments, and our muscles to climb to such heights?

My guess: it’s all about perspective.

If you’ve ever looked out over the city from the top floor of a skyscraper, you know what I’m talking about.  The city looks like you’ve never seen it before.  Smaller.  More manageable.  Like you could pick up the neighboring buildings and squish them with your fingers.

Whenever you’re at the top of something – a mountain, a skyscraper, a rollercoaster, whatever – something amazing happens.  Your vision…changes.  Suddenly, you can see further than you ever could before.  You can see things more clearly.  You can see how things fit together.  The details of what you’re looking at have not changed, but your opinion of them has because you can finally see the big picture.

When God calls us to the mountains, it’s because he wants us to see things from his point of view, and God always sees the big picture.  He sees the forest when all we see are trees.  He sees the city when all we see is traffic.

He sees eternity when all we see is today.

There is nothing magical about meeting God at the mountains. The events leading up to our circumstances don’t undo themselves. The people who’ve wronged us don’t disappear. The outcome of our situation doesn’t change.  However, when we meet God at the mountains, something miraculous does happen.  Suddenly, we’re no longer blinded by the details of our everyday problems.  The fog lifts and the horizon stretches and gradually we begin to see things from God’s perspective rather than our own.  Little by little, the big picture slowly comes into focus and our eyes adjust to discover a world and a plan that is greater than we could have ever imagined.

Q:  When have you seen things differently after going to the mountains with God? What situation are you facing right now that you would really like to see from God’s perspective?