You know that old saying, you can't see the forest for all the trees? Sure you do, because here in New England, there are lots and lots of trees, and rarely can you see more than a few hundred feet in any direction. It seems to me, at least, as I drive along that the trees and brush block just about everything this time of year. In the dead of winter, though, and in early spring, when the leaves are all gone from the hardwoods, and you can actually see through them, I am often surprised at what houses, barns, etc that are hidden from sight the other nine months of the year!
The people in Colorado would not as easily understand the old saying about trees, however. When I first moved there, everyone kept telling me how lucky I was to move from boring old Ohio to the Rocky Mountain State. I was pretty homesick, though, and I didn't know what was missing at first. Eventually, it dawned on me that it was the trees and the birds, which are abundant in Ohio as they are here. "We have the mountains!" they kept telling me. I'd complain about the lack of trees, they'd mention mountains. I wish for more farmland, they say mountains. everything I missed from "back home" they would just dismiss as "Once you get used to the mountains, you won't miss anything else. The mountains are heavenly" They almost had that dead on.
Since there is little else in Colorado, I did indeed grow to like those mountains. They never did overcome my desire to see the open, green rolling Appalachian hills now and again. but they certainly are spectacular in their own right. One of the things I used to like to do with Deniese when we were dating, and even after we were married, was to drive up into a section of the red rocks area (where the rocks and even the dirt on the ground is literally red!!!) into a place called the Garden of the Gods and watch the sun set. It is simply spectacular. However, remember that old saying about the trees? Well, in Colorado Springs a mountain called Pike's Peak soars above the city at about 14K feet. When you are in the Garden of the Gods, however, there are about 7 peaks. Let me draw you a picture of the skyline:
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \
Now, which of those peaks do you suppose is Pike's Peak? You can't really tell, can you? In a sense, you can't see the Mountain for all the hills! Because of those seven, only one is really a mountain, the third one. If you could float up into the air, or simply back away from the hills, you would quickly realize the view is more like this:
^
/ \
/ \
_^_/^___^\_^_^_^_
so why didn't Pike's Peak look as tall as the rest when you were up close - because it is farther way. Yet you are right up against those hills, so they look big. In fact, many are barely higher than 7K. And in life, when you run into lots of problems, maybe you lose sight of heaven because you confuse it with your troubles. You know what troubles, the ones that seem to loom up as big as can be, between you and your goal. And maybe even some of those hills are the pleasures of life, which look just as tempting and desirable as heaven should look. In fact, when you are close to them and far from heaven, they look even bigger!Maybe this is why we sing the song "Let me walk close to thee." Maybe this is why we want to stay "Hand in Hand with Jesus." Speaking of hands, hold yours up in front of your face. See how much bigger it looks than when it is far away? Now imaging being in the "Hollow of God's Hand" and far away from any pleasures this world might have for us. Don't they look puny and worthless?
Many people leave the Garden of the Gods and don't even know which of those peaks is Pike's Peak. How sad. But how much sadder to lose sight of heaven by clinging to the things of this world, or letting our troubles grow so big as to block it out. Think about it!
Randy
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Isaiah 48:16-19 Come ye near to me, hear ye this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Isaiah 45:20-22 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Matthew 15:7-8 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.