The Mountain Tops

I love "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. I've been reading it for years, but God continues to use it no matter how many times I have gone over the same passage. The entry for 10/1 is about the mountain tops in life.

"Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves." Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness wants to make them the only time.

We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching, it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz., into character. The mount is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a great snare in asking - What is the use of it? In spiritual matters we can never calculate on that line. The moments on the mountain tops are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God's purpose.

I had a "mountain top" moment today. Let me preface it by asking the moms out there to remember that exact moment when your brand new baby was placed in your arms. The amazing journey you had traveled in those short nine months was over, and you had your perfect little one and a life time ahead to look forward to. You would get to experience his first smile, his first laugh, first tooth, first everything.

Today, I was able to be a part of a mother and father's firsts. I have been looking for a family for a perfect little toddler boy. I had already gone through two families who were unable to commit to the placement. Family #3 agreed and we began the process. This morning, we met to discuss the child and plan placement, etc. Then we walked down the hallway where the child was asleep in a co-worker's arms. As my co-worker handed the sleeping little boy over to his new mommy and daddy, I was overwhelmed by this "first." The proud new dad looked at me and said "We've been waiting for so long." Not for nine months, or even a year...over a dozen years. I have only known them a short time, but I am convinced that their faith has carried them through their journey. They may have missed the child's first smile, first laugh, first steps, but they didn't feel cheated. As they spent the morning with him, they had their firsts...first time to hold him, to play with him, to feed him, to kiss his chubby little cheeks. I stood there watching, with tears in my eyes, wondering why I get to do what I do. My job is hard; there are constantly people pulling me every way, telling me I'm not doing enough or I'm not good enough. I'll be honest, I have checked the want ads in the last few weeks. But this mountain top has shown me not to run when things get hard or when people are cruel and questioning. I must stand strong as I descend back into my daily tasks of ordinary life. Even if the mountain tops are few and far between, in the end, it is all worth it.