Mountaintops

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Today was one of my state-mandated days off without pay. Most of my coworkers lovingly refer to the furlough days as FU-Days. I took the opportunity to go hiking. Since my friend and I have been up most of the normal trails, we set off up a random and unmarked canyon to see what we could see.

Like most hikes in Nevada, this one was deceptive from the trailhead. The distant peak was a lot further as the crow flies than the canyon bottom lead us to believe. It was cold and wet, slippery and foggy, and tough enough that we found very little trash and even fewer signs of man's incursion on nature.

ALthough we have no idea how far a distance we went, in total, we climbed 1100 feet to the peak. From there, we had unobstructed views across Red Rock NCA into Las Vegas. I could almost see the neighborhood where I lived. For all we could tell, the only frequent visitors to this height were the bighorn sheep whose scent still lingered near the covered areas as the peak's top. The area was relatively lush and diverse for the desert, signs that nature doesn't need man's help to take care of itself. The position was easy to defend, as most people would give up far before they came close to our position and turn around for the picnic areas and easy trails and warmer areas created by the sun and rocks that block the wind.

As the mountaintop is reserved for those willing to pay the price, the moral high ground is reserved for those who do what they ought. It was the historical behavior of prophets throughout the Old Testament to go to the mountaintops to speak with God. To be where God is, you had to go higher; to see things the way God sees them, you need to go to a place that approximates His point of view. It takes a lot of work to get to the top of the mountain, and it takes a great deal of discipline to get to the moral high ground. Perhaps that is why Christ had so few disciples; too many people, if they even get out of their cars, settle for the picnic areas and well worn trails of mortality in the lower valleys or give up when the terrain turns upward. However, if you do today what others won't, tomorrow you'll be able to do what others can't.

I have paid the price, seen the vision, and stood in high places. It was a beautiful day. Wish you'd been there. Come with me next time.