Above the Tree Line

Above the Tree Line

Apr 29, 2022

Mountain tops are amazing places. It's almost as if they were made specifically for special moments. The clarity of the air... unobstructed views... wind... There is just sky, and majestic perspective! I can remember most of my mountain top visits. They stand out in my memory. I recall how the sunset looked, or being able to see the elk on the next peak. I also remember not wanting to leave. There's something about the mountain top experience that calls to me. Can you identify?

The mountain tops I'm referring to are other-worldly places. No trees. As a mid-west boy, trees are part of my existence, and I love them. Alas though, trees have their own issues. They block the view. They drop pollen, sap, leaves, sticks, and yes, limbs sometimes... on everything. They're messy. The high mountain tops? Not so. There, we are above the tree line. No trees... no snakes... just a pristine, clean change of pace.

Spiritually, we do love the mountain tops. Those moments change us forever. Tears and chills and immense excitement all brand our psyche with a white-hot touch from heaven. We never want to leave! Then we do. We go home. Back to our lives, our jobs, our pressures, our goals, and our issues. WHY can we not stay on the mountain top? Because we were never designed to stay there. We are like trees.

Trees cannot survive the heights. There isn't enough water. The WIND is too great, and the temperatures too cold. No, trees were made for soil, not rocks. They love valleys where the water runs near and deep. We are like trees. Psalms 1 comes to mind, I'm sure. And Isaiah 61. Maybe even Mark 8! Although we long for our mountain top experiences, there is something that we can remember that may bring us comfort until our next: the water from the last outpouring does not stay on those mountains. It's just below the valley surface now. Beneath the soil of the field where we have been planted by the Master Gardener runs the very river we long for. We only need dig a little.

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