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Matthew 17-
19 When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, “Why couldn’t we throw it out?” 20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”
Jesus was speaking to men who had just seen sunshine pouring out of His face on the mountain top and yet they still did not believe. They had just seen Jesus’ clothes filled with light, and Him, having a conversation with Elijah and Moses. The first thing Peter could think about was to build a memorial. 4 “Peter broke in, “Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?” Doesn’t this sound like us today? Let’s take a selfie or a picture to memorialize this moment, instead of focusing on the glory of the moment. I love what God says in Verse 5 “While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.” In listening to Jesus as He says that, “If you had a mere kernel of faith,” I believe He was just giving them a measure of what faith could do- that all it takes is a kernel. More than 2000 years later, we are stuck on the measure and quote this scripture for every problem we encounter. Actually, most of us, if we are honest, approach problems as mountains that must be moved. Does Jesus want us to move mountains? Yes, if need be, but I don’t believe that is what he was saying. He was giving them an example of what a kernel of faith could do, seeing that they were wondering why they couldn’t heal the demon possessed boy.
While theologians squabble about the exact location of the Mount of transfiguration, citing Mt. Hermon vs. Mt. Tabor, I believe amazing things happen on mountaintops notably: Mount Olive – where Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, Mt. Sinai – where God gave Moses the 10 commandments, Mt. Calvary – where Jesus died for our sins, Mt. Moriah – where King Solomon built his famous temple, Mt. Ararat – where Noah’s Ark rested during the flood, and Mount of Beatitudes – where Jesus gave his most powerful sermon. Martin Luther King Jr. said he had been to the mountaintop and seen the glory of God. Often times we look at life’s hardships and struggles as mountains we have to move, but if we climbed and conquered those mountains instead, we too would see the glory of God.
Therefore, as this pertains to parenting, (you know I always bring it back to parenting 😉 whatever mountains you and your children may be facing today, I encourage you to climb them because God is calling you to higher peaks of faith in Him. Don’t be so focused on the measure of faith that you lose sight of the giver of faith. The one whose thoughts, as Isaiah describes in chapter 55 verse 9, are higher than our thoughts and whose ways are higher than our ways. And because He has made us in His image, we are capable of thinking His thoughts. However, that higher level of thinking is not down in the valley, it is on the mountaintop. I believe that level of thinking requires us parents to go to new heights in God. That’s why I’m calling this Mountaintop Faith. Have you noticed how children believe they can do anything? Their faith is untainted by the worries and struggles of adulthood. In Luke 18:17 (MSG) “People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”
I am so grateful to God for a daughter who always pushes me to climb mountains. I hope in some ways, I have pushed her to climb as much as she has pushed me. Her faith daily challenges mine. I pray that no matter how old she gets, she never loses that childlike faith. And I try very hard as a parent, not to let my cynicism taint her simplistic acceptance of God’s kingdom. Do you ever catch yourself about to say something to your daughter or son, and realize you are being cynical and stop? Well, I do. I then make adjustments in my thinking and start climbing again. It’s a daily choice. The times when I actually say something that doesn’t align with God’s word, my daughter immediately calls me out on it. We have an iron-sharpens-iron kind of relationship where she has had the permission to call me out on valley thinking, ever since she was a small child. Daily, I have to remember not to focus on the measure of faith, but to keep my eyes on the giver of faith. Daily, I read my Bible so that God’s thoughts become my thoughts. You cannot know what God is thinking if you don’t read His word. Daily, I have to take captive every thought that doesn’t align with God’s word because I know it’s not of Him. It’s a constant battle of the mind. And so is mountain climbing.
When I climbed Mt. Monadnock, pictured here, my ascent was all in my mind. Every moment I thought I could do it, the ascent was effortless, but the moment I began to have thoughts of possibly not making it to the peak, the ascent became arduous. I mean, my legs burned, my heart raced, I got a muscle pull and I became so thirsty, river Nile would not have been enough to quench my thirst. So I did what any smart climber would do in that situation; I climbed the rest of Mt. Monadnock with my mind. The higher I thought, the higher I went, all the way to the mountaintop. I implore you and your children to climb your mountains because God is calling you to higher peaks of faith in Him. God is calling us all to Mountaintop Faith. What kind of faith will you choose? Will you choose Mountaintop Faith or will you choose to be stuck in the valley with a measure of faith?