Some day, I want to be like this guy.
I think that is cool. So rather than go to Ben and Jerry's (Vermont's biggest tourist destination) and since it was not cold enough for maple syruping (a word I just invented which means: to extract maple syrup from a Maple while wearing a scarf). I went for a hike with a friend of mine (after sleeping that night in a tent we perched in the parking lot.)
Camel's Hump is not intense, but it is also no slouch. It is the third highest peak in Vermont, and has a natural prominence of almost 2,000 feet. The hike was a little over six and a half miles and climbed a little under 2,500 feet. It was early fall (notice the New England colors just beginning to come out). It got me a little winded, and I'm in decent shape.
This guy decided just hiking it was not enough, so he brought his daughter. I zoomed in a bit so you can notice that she does have some hiking boots on, but guess how she got up the hard parts?
He carried her.
Ok, so God carries us... Hasn't YTD been here before? Yes.
But, don't get ahead of me.
Why did the father take his daughter up that mountain? I believe it was his joy.
Take another look at the zoomed in picture. This man is content. Follow his arms to his fingers. Look at the little girl's eyes...
"There is Lake Champlain. That very tip right there is back in Canada. We will go there next summer, and I will show you how to fish. I know you don't like fish, but we will have fun never the less. After wards, if we catch nothing or a million, we will get ice cream! Does that sound good?"
*girl sheepishly nods head*
When we hear that God "is Father" it can bring up a lot of misconstrued images. I know a lot of boys who don't know their own fathers. In our culture, masculinity is broken, fatherhood is forgotten, and the art of being a man has fallen to the wayside for many of our boys. I fear that many will never become men, because they don't know what it looks like to be one on a day by day basis, but I digress.
God enjoys being with you.
Take one last look at the picture.
God is the father, and you are his beloved child.
His arms hold you close, but don't hold you completely still. You can choose to look in any direction you choose, but you are enamored by him and focused on his hands. You can not look away. What is he going to show me next? What is he telling me now? In the midst of this cold, windy, summit I am warm because I am in his arms. I don't want to be anywhere else.
"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" Romans 8:15
When I first read this word "abba" about seven years ago, I knew I had heard it before. I had a friend growing up who was from Pakistan. In their home they spoke some Arabic, which is rooted in the Aramaic language (the language Jesus and his follower spoke).
My friend (Bilal) addressed his father as "Abba."
If I try, I can still hear his (kinda whiny) voice... AAAAhbba!
I asked him what it meant once.
"Daddy"
It didn't take too long for me to double check, and yes, it meant the exact same thing back then.
Amen.
In your face "some" who think God is a cosmic Nazi kill-joy!
If you have forgotten my feelings for "some" click here.
This week, take five minutes, clear your mind, and let your spirit cry... Abba, Father!
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