My husband and I recently spent several days in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of family history and connections, those mountains hold a very special place in our hearts. It’s rare that I can gaze at them without tearing up. Convinced that God just plain showed off when He made them, I’m always left wondering what heaven must look like if it is even more beautiful than the Blue Ridge.
I spend a lot of time conversing with Him when I’m there. I listen to the wind as it rushes through the tall pines. I hear Him through the call of the songbirds. I sense His nearness when I gaze at the mountain laurels and watch as bees play hopscotch on the blossoms. I draw near when I am in those mountains. And He draws near to me.
Then we leave.
One of the saddest things is the last view in the rearview mirror. I try not to look. The first part of the drive home is usually silent. It hurts to leave. It hurts because we love it so very much and because we have both, together and separately, heard from God there.
For some, the “mountaintop experience” can be at the ocean. The sun and the beauty and majesty of the beach are something I, being a coastal girl, truly understand. There’s nothing like the beach at sunrise. For others, the mountaintop experience is at a conference, gathering with other believers to worship and focus on Jesus.
Whatever your “mountaintop” is, it is a struggle to hang on to it once you’re home. Once the phone starts ringing again. The laundry begins to pile up. Dinners need to be planned, kids need to be driven to practices, bills need to be paid, and demands are nonstop. How do we keep that mountaintop experience once we come down from the mountain?
Short answer: we don’t.
But there are things we can do on the mountain that will help us remember what we learned while we were there.
1. Allow yourself time to be still.
Jesus spent time away from the disciples to seek time with the Father (Luke 5:16). If our Savior saw and illustrated the value in spending time alone with God, don’t you think it’s important for us to as well?
2. Journal.
As the Holy Spirit works in you, write it down. If you are so inclined, make notes in your Bible. If He leads you to any decision, be sure to record it. Commit to a plan of action when you are home.
3. Obey Him.
Moses didn’t stay on top of the mountain after having an encounter with God. He came down and got busy! (Exodus 34) Sister, there is a world out there waiting for you to be obedient in service to Him (James 2:14-26).
Wherever He chooses to speak to you—mountain, beach, conference, or pew, I pray you respond to Him in a way that brings Him glory and leads others to Him. God bless you!