Here I am on a plane in Vancouver headed back to Toronto, trying to take in the past seven days that were spent in beautiful British Columbia. So much has happened that it’s been challenging processing it all. But, I will write passionately about the dreaded fog that seemed to cover all of Vancouver and its surrounding cities for the first five days of our trip. So much frustration built inside of me throughout the whole time. From early morning to late at night, this annoying blanket covered almost every inch of the region. We’d be sitting in a car, traveling from place to place, and be told of the beauty that lay behind the fog. The most that I ever saw were the outlines of a phantom mountain range.
I was convinced that I would leave Vancouver with only memories of an unveiled, hidden gem. No breathtaking views. No jaw dropping moments. No beauty to behold.
But, on the sixth day, the sun came out and revealed it all. As we drove towards downtown Vancouver, the view opened up before us. Before me were mountains upon mountains that stretched in every direction, left to right.
“Open the eyes of my heart Lord.
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see you. I want to see you.
High and lifted up. Shining at the light of your glory.
Pour out your power and love. As we sing, holy, holy, holy!”
There they were. Each peak high and lifted up. The magnificence of mother nature right before my eyes. This was worth the wait.
As I stare out at the screen in front of me, images blurring in and out, three hours into the plane ride, I realize that each of us has had some sort of fog experience in our life. Time and time again, we’re told of God’s greatness, His majesty, and His grandeur. Before we ever had our “Jesus Expo” moment, God was just something other people talked about. We acknowledged His presence but we never really believed it. And it made me think: do we, or have we, let our own personal fog get to our heads and drive us crazy? Why is it so easy for us to be skeptical? Why do we believe something only when our sight is satisfied?
The Lord is a lot like the mountains in BC. Sometimes His presence isn’t as obvious to us, but that doesn’t mean He’s not there. The more hidden the mountains were, the more we sought them out. And at the right time, we were able to personally witness what lay behind the fog. In the same way, God hides so that we come out of our hiding places. His absence should make us yearn deeply for Him, not drive us away. He is as real as those mountains.
When I am hidden from you, seek me. Never stop until you find me. And when you find me, you will know that I have never abandoned you.
I really feel that in my heart that the Lord is continuing to purify my intentions for Full Time Pastoral Work. This specific mountain experience gave me a different perspective and allowed me to build on my conviction.
How many youth are still blinded by their own fog?
How many of them have given up and lost hope?
-lost patience with their lives and lost patience with themselves?
I have witnessed too much of Christ in my life to not actively participate in His unveiling. By carrying out the work that the Lord has entrusted to me, I choose to be a bearer of light and hope in this world. I want the youth in my Sector, in my Area, in my Region, in my Country, in this continent to enjoy the beauty of the mountains- the mountain of His great love and mercy.
And that begins with hope.
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”- Hebrews 10:36
* PS. I am back in the concrete jungles of the GTA and wrote this on my plane ride back from the North American Leaders Summit.
