Back on October 1, I was reading in Oswald Chamber’s book, My Utmost for His Highest. In there, he was referencing the story where Jesus takes his disciples up a mountain, and while there, they have an amazing, mind-blowing experience. People often consider this kind of event a “spiritual high” or a “mountain top experience.” The idea is often connected to spiritual retreats that people take, whether alone or with some group like a youth group or couples’ retreat. Chambers, however, makes a very powerful point that I think has merit for you whether you are a Christian or not.
Look at this: “We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain.”
Now what he means in terms of Christianity is simple enough….you can’t stay on the mountain to hopefully maintain that ongoing spiritual high. Life simply doesn’t work that way and, though Chambers doesn’t say this part clearly enough, the spiritual high does not remain. Over my 50 years of life, I have been on countless trips—okay, I could count them and so probably 75-100 different religious retreats or trips–where one might have a mountain top experience….regardless of whether you were technically on a mountain or not. All of those, however, are very singular in time and had everyone actually stayed put after the weekend, it would not have been the same.
No, we are not made for the mountains.
Quick disclaimer—as a LOVER of the mountains, and one who wishes God would call me back to Tennessee or perhaps out to the Denver area, I don’t mean that we can’t have a natural love for the mountains or enjoy living in the mountains rather than elsewhere. The point is much deeper, so please don’t get confused here.
We are not made to remain in some place that we think has some ongoing spiritual high. Rather, we are made to live in the “ordinary things of life.” That’s where we are to actually do the living….in our regular time of life.
And that’s the point that someone who is not a Christian can take notice also. So often, I run into students or colleagues who are either waiting on that inspirational moment to guide their next steps OR longing to remain (or being bitter about having to leave) the last place of inspiration. That is understandable; I feel the same way. Yet, if we get stuck in neutral waiting or longing, we miss out on the living. Note, the clock does not stop! The days will go by. Along the way, the real action of living in the every day will be missed by you.
Worse, if you do go read the Bible passage, had they stayed on the mountain, not only would the normal life of the valley be missed, but a chance to aid and impact the life of another would be missed. When they come down the mountain, a sick child is positively impacted through the interaction with those previously on the mountain. In our normal everyday “ordinary things of life” moments, real other humans are there that we can impact. Perhaps you give someone a smile who, unbeknownst to you, is really down and feeling lonely. Maybe you hold the door for someone who, unknown to you, thinks everyone around him hates him. Maybe you slow down while driving and let the other person in as, unknown to you, that person races to the hospital.
All around you and I are the “ordinary things of life” and that’s where we are made to live. It is in that living that “we have to prove our stamina and strength.” It’s also the place where we live out our humanity with others.
So, enjoy the mountain….or the beach or wherever you’ve had a spiritual high. But realize you weren’t made to live there, but rather to come back to the ordinary, living well there, and by doing so, make that moment, that place extraordinary.