The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:13
I feel pulled between two worlds. Do you?
There’s the daily world where we build our lives, individually and as a human race. It calls for all of our talents and strengths. It’s also where our weaknesses and blind spots are revealed. It’s where we discover the genetic blessings of our DNA as well as the limits it puts upon us. No matter how much I may want to make the world more beautiful by playing the piano, I have the musical talent of a rock, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
But then there’s that “upward call” Paul wrote about and Jesus preached about in his sermon on a mountainside (Matthew 5-7). We live as if we ourselves are on a mountain, breathing in cleaner air, and seeing a limitless expanse below. We witness the power of unconditional love and of unmerited grace. We see God as a Creator who actually cares and is intimately involved in making the world below a reflection of the kingdom above. We’re called to trust this vision.
That means we take what we’ve seen on the mountaintop back to the world below and help inspire/transform it. Following a call upward frees us for the required return downward. DNA might limit us in daily life, but the Holy Spirit frees us when and where it counts.
I once wrote decades ago, “If the sea reminds us of where we came from, the mountains point us to where we’re going.” I’d edit that today. The mountains remind us that we have a mission to return to earth and help others catch the amazing vision we’ve been blessed to see.