Oh, To Be as a Mountain Tree!
The mountain tree. What can we say that the poem at the top of this web page has not already said? There are benefits to being a mountain tree as well as a price to pay to receive such benefits. The question is do the benefits outweigh the price and are we willing to pay this price ourselves in order to be as the mountain tree and have eyes to see the far horizons and the stars?
To answer the above question each of us will have to ask ourselves if we love truth though it may hurt at times, or do we prefer lies that sustain our status quo keeping us in a state of cognitive dissonance as we endeavor to maintain our sanity in this crazy world we find ourselves in? The powers that be and their minions have created this grand illusion that we all find ourselves living in today. It is the world they have pulled over our eyes, a sleight of hand so to speak, propagated worldwide to misdirect the people to look elsewhere other than where they should be looking should they desire to know the truth.
The Benefits
Have you ever stood on a mountain, maybe even at the top of a mountain? The view from such a place is spectacular, you can see for miles and miles and can see things that are not visible from the valley below but only from the mountain. Same as that lonely mountain tree, you can see the far horizons and the stars.
When I was a young boy, I believe I was in junior high at the time, during summer vacation one of the coaches from the school I attended took a bunch of us boys on a camping trip in the Appalachian Mountains. It was a memorable time to say the least, a time I will most likely never forget. We traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park. There were waterfalls, hiking trails, bears, and so many other great wonders to take in. Things that I did not see growing up in New York on Long Island. I would have had to go to my grandparent’s house in upstate New York to see anything even close to what I saw on that trip.
I remember at least one evening when the coach took us all out to an open grassy area on the mountain where we could see stars from one end of the horizon to the other, I don’t believe I have ever seen so many stars. Due to that experience that evening I now understand what God was referring to when he said to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore…" I understood the reference to sand upon the seashore as I grew up on Long Island surrounded by water, but if not for that experience that evening on the mountain I may not have understood the reference to the stars of the heaven.
The Price
One day, the coach took us boys on a hike up a small mountainside to a peak. It took some effort as well as time to get to our destination, but it was well worth it once we arrived. When we got to the peak we were all tired, thirsty, and hungry, all us boys that is. I think the coach was doing just fine, after all, he is the coach don’t forget. The view from that peak was incredible, we could see more than we could see from our campsite, not to mention from the valley below. And yes, though we were tired, thirsty, hungry, and sweaty from the trek up hill on a hot summer’s day, I must say, the price we had to pay to get there far outweighed the cost of remaining at the campsite.
With every blessing we receive in this life here on earth there is a price tag associated with it. For example, if someone should choose not to remain single but get married they will have to forfeit some personal freedoms. They no longer can do whatever they want to do when they want to do it. They must now consider their spouse and their responsibilities to the marital relationship. Likewise, should a married couple be blessed with children they will no longer be able to make a midnight run to Denny’s for a burger and a soft drink. That is, unless they want to wake their children up, get them out of bed, dressed, and drag them along with them. I don’t think that would work out too well for all parties involved and may have lasting consequences the following morning.
Likewise, there is a price to pay for those who love truth and seek after it. They may never know a sheltered place nor grow symmetrical in grace. In other words, they may forfeit the comfort of fellowship with others and that house with a white picket fence and a dog named Spot. It may cost them their relationship with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Not by choice, their own choice that is, but if their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers do not love truth they will most likely not be able to tolerate being around them for more than five minutes. Those of us who love truth are as such trees that must battle doggedly the blasts, and bear the scars.
There is not only a price to pay to be on the mountain and see the far horizons and the stars, there is also a price one will have to pay for remaining in the valley below.
Some say ignorance is bliss, I say ignorance is dangerous, especially willful ignorance. For someone to remain ignorant regardless of the consequences or effect it may not only have on their own lives, but the lives of others is the very definition of selfishness. It may cost those people their lives and the lives of those who are in their sphere of influence. We are witnessing this today throughout the world as millions of people are being murdered simply because the masses choose to believe the lie that is being propagated by others who perpetrate this evil upon the world. Though this is a hefty price to pay in the here-and-now due to people’s ignorance, there is even a more enormous price to pay in the there-and-then, a price one will be paying for all eternity should they choose to remain ignorant of the Truth. Either way you are going to pay, you can pay the price to make the trek up the mountain or pay the cost to remain in the valley, that choice is up to you.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (King James Bible)
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Can We Be as a Mountain Tree?
The answer is yes, we can be as a mountain tree. We can see things that those who should choose to remain in the valley cannot see if we are willing to pay the price to do so in the here-and-now. As for the there-and-then, we cannot afford to pay such a price ourselves as the price tag is well above our means. However, there is one who has paid that price for us already, it is Jesus, God’s only begotten son. He paid the price in full upon the cross of Calvary where He shed His blood for you and me that we might be free for all eternity.
Our temporal salvation, so to speak, in this world may be somewhat dependent on us making the choice to wake up to the truth and warn others. Likewise, our eternal salvation to some extent is dependent upon us. Though Jesus paid the price in full for us and offers it to us as a free gift, it is up to us to choose to accept such a wonderful gift, one which we do not deserve.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (King James Bible)
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
The choice is yours as to where you will spend eternity, the river (i.e., a pure river of water of life) or the lake (i.e., the lake of fire and brimstone), it is up to you. God wants to be your coach and take you up the mountain for all eternity. God did His part by showing His love for you, now what will you choose? Will you choose to be as a mountain tree and choose to be free for all eternity, or will you choose to go it alone and have the chips fall where they may? The choice is yours, click here to choose you this day whom ye will serve.
John 3:16 (King James Bible)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."