A Clearer View | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: A Clearer View | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Borga
07/08/20
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Where I grew up in central Indiana, the cornfields are flat and immense and the blue sky seems to go on forever. Farmlands are dotted with small woodlots and the towns and villages are dominated by one or two-storied buildings. Except for the tall water towers and an occasional church steeple, everything seems to hug the ground.

Even though I was content to be a flatlander, I dreamed of one day climbing a mountain. I liked the idea of seeing the world from a higher vantage point.

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. It’s the granddaddy of the Presidential Range, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the northern region of the Appalachians. The mountain is notorious for its fickle weather and record-breaking wind speeds. It’s a worthy challenge for the adrenaline-hating person that I am. It was my first mountain-climbing venture.

The eight-mile Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the summit is a strenuous five-to-six-hour hike and takes equally as much time and effort to make one's way back down to the base. The trail first meanders gently upward in sun-dappled forest past a roaring waterfall that leaps and dances over giant chunks of granite. The trees begin to dwarf as the way grows steeper. The rough-hewn stone stairs seem never-ending. It’s a lovely hike, but lung-sucking, muscle-straining, mind-dulling misery prevails. Eventually, the trees morph into scrawny, bent, knee-high shrubs and all the pain is forgotten as the unobstructed vista emerges.

My eyes have never gazed so far and wide. Countless waves of mossy green peaks below me fade to misty blue, finally blending into the distant horizon. The beauty takes my breath away but I dare not linger long. I’m anxious to be off to conquer the summit; the view will be even better there.

Above the treeline, the long upward trek through the stark gray rocks is grueling and monotonous. Small wooden signs point the way to the sturdy weather observatory that squats on the summit. I feel a burst of energy as I anticipate the spectacular full view from the top. I approach my destination at last... and step into a thick white fog that obscures everything beyond a few yards of my face. I’m told that there are very few days when the summit of Mount Washington is not enveloped by clouds. While I know that a panorama of loveliness surrounds me, I won’t be seeing it here today. I’ll have to head back down where I came from to have a clearer view.

My walk with Jesus is a lot like my mountain climbing experience. Often the path has been gentle; I’ve been blessed with family and lifelong friendships to keep me company along the way. But at times the trail is strewn with heart-numbing difficulty and I wonder how I will muster the strength to continue.

There are so many questions. I’ve dealt with failure and disappointment. I’ve struggled with doubt. I wonder about all the suffering, pain, and confusion I see around me. It seems like I’ve made it to the summit and there are clouds obscuring my answers. I want a clearer view. I long to know the whens and hows and whys. I thought I’d have life figured out by now. It seems instead, as time goes by, the less I understand.

So I must take a lesson from the mountain. I’ve witnessed countless scenes of God’s faithfulness to me along the way. When I’ve stumbled along the path, he’s offered his hand. When I needed refreshment, he provided. I don’t need to see it to know what goodness lies beyond the clouds of today. I’ve read his promises and found them to be true.

Just as I know that beautiful scenery lies beyond the mist on the mountaintop, I know that our sovereign God is working out his plan, whether or not I have all the answers. I must not worry about what I can’t see, and instead, trust what I know to be true. His perfect plan for justice, mercy, and grace has not changed. Nothing has caught him by surprise. He asks me to draw close in prayer, act in love, and wait. He not only has the answers; he is the answer.

*****
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV)

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