Southern Cascade Peaks are beautiful! (High above Brewer Creek on the slopes of Mt. Shasta, CA)

This post was written by one of my group members.  Enjoy!

To this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away… But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16

This summer I had the opportunity to spend significant time hiking in the spectacular Southern Cascade Mountains. The vistas were the “Ooooh… Aaaah…Woooww!” kind. During that time, we saw many. For view-junkies like my family, it was perfect.

Our final days were spent hiking in and around Mt. Hood. Its signature pointed peak is one of the most beautiful in the Cascade Range. The views on our first day were gorgeous, though clouds rolled in in the afternoon and obscured the peak at times. The next day provided a few good views but most of the time the peak was in the clouds.

Hey! We can see the summit of Mt. Hood! (On Gnarl Ridge)

As we gained elevation the third day we found ourselves literally in the clouds, themselves. So much so that we could barely see twenty meters in front of us; just thick, gray, soupy fog. We had reached McNeil Point, the place of spectacular vistas. They were right in front of us. We knew about beauty. We could imagine the grandeur, but…we couldn’t see it for ourselves. No “Oooohing and Aaaahing and Wowing!” for us that day.

Had we been able to wait it out, the fog would have broken up. The vistas would be crystal clear again. But we didn’t wait.

This is what we should have seen (Photo courtesy of Nathan)

That’s what happens when we aren’t able to see the beauty and wonder of our Lord. The beauty of God is right in front of us. But blocking that view is the fog— that’s all we can see. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting beyond the worries, busy-ness or whatever that are clogging the eyes of our hearts.

But so many Christians settle for the fog. They languish along knowing Jesus is in beautiful but He’s inaccessible to them and they settle for a sterile and perhaps dutiful platonic liaison with Him and they never get beyond that point and that’s tragic.

What we actually saw at McNeil Point

Worship time comes and they just go through the motions, parroting the words that others are singing “Oo… Ah…Wow”— words, but with no real meaning. How can their the words of worship mean much when they can’t see the beauty? The fog is too thick. No wonder they’re bored.

But if we “long for His appearing” (2 Tim 4:8) we can out last these feelings. If we will wait on the Lord, it’s just a matter of time before the wind of the Spirit starts to blow, the fog starts to break up, we see the beauty of God revealed in Christ —and we worship in spirit and in truth.