Freedom to Look Up - Thursday February 19, 2015
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord... Psalm 121:1-2
Over the years I have found myself climbing mountains with family in the USA, Scotland, China, and Romania. For some reason it's what we do. As I walk along, I wonder how to enjoy the scenery while not falling flat on my face. Watching my feet is imperative, especially going up Longs Peak, in Colorado, with scree (loose stones) on the trail (in contrast to China with steps all the way to the top!).
Climbing Longs Peak takes hours and hours, giving one much time to think. I finally sorted out this dilemma-my need to look down and my desire to look up. Apart from knowing the Lord, each of us is self-focused. We fill the stage of our life, the lens of the camera-the "selfie" epitomizes this. And we are enslaved by that focus; it's like we have to watch our feet without looking up. Even as Christians we can be too self-concerned, thinking too much about our own virtue, which easily becomes self-righteousness. In Christ, however, I am freed from myself-Praise God!-to focus on Him and others, to rejoice in the freedom to look up!
A wonderful thing about mountain climbing is seeing the majesty of God's creation: forests, streams, sunrises, sheer rock cliffs, huge boulders, dizzying drops-these are breathtakingly glorious. The freedom to look up to Him in our daily lives is also glorious-He lights up His world for us. Yes, we do have to keep an eye on our feet, our walk in Him, keeping our feet connected to the Head. But we have been freed to enjoy so much more. Like the view from the top of Longs!
Submitted by:
Dotty Vanderhorst
Cornerstone Community Church
Overland Park, Kansas
One-Year Reading Plan:
Leviticus 7:28-9:6
Mark 3:31-4:25
Psalms 37:12-29
Proverbs 10:5
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