LOOK!
by Pastor Jim Taylor
On a clear morning I could see the mountain called Four Peaks off to the Northwest. About 110 miles from my location, all I had to do to see it easily was climb on the back of my horse early of a morning and make my way up the mountainside above the house for about a quarter mile. There, from the top of that little peak I could see South into Mexico, North to the Maztazals (of which Four Peaks was a prominent part), East to the Galiuro's and West to the Santa Rosa Mountains. It was a spectacular view encompassing hundreds of square miles of land. Sitting in the saddle there early in the morning I would sometimes dream of what the country was like when the trappers and fur-hunters first came through it. It was awe-inspiring and made you feel a little small.
The opportunity to look for hundreds of miles with the naked eye does not come to a lot of the people in this land. Most are stuck in the daily routine of work and trying to pay the bills and just do not have the time to look around them. Many live in parts of the country where - even if they took time to look - four miles is a long way. In the dry air of the West the humidity does not cloud up one's view. Once during a Fall Bear hunt, my Dad, Tom Peterson and myself climbed the old Ranger tower on top of Aztec Peak in the Sierra Ancha Mountains that lay North of Globe. There from the top of that peak we had a clear view of the mountain ranges folding away in all directions. To the South we could see past the Catalina Mountains 130 miles from us, all the way to the ranges of Northern Mexico. It was staggering.
One view that sticks in my mind occurred when I was returning to the USA after a tour of duty in the Far East. Coming into the West Coast after crossing the Pacific, we were at 39,000 feet if I remember correctly. The pilot remarked how clear the day was and pointed out some landmarks for us. To our left, up the coast, we could see Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta in Northern California. To our right we could see the mountain ranges almost in Baja, a view of over 250 miles in any direction. After being gone for several years that rugged coast sure looked mighty fine. One thing I remember distinctly. From that altitude you could not see whether it was inhabited or not unless you were over a large city. Man, for all his striving, has not made that much of a mark on the land.
I recently watched a science fiction movie that had a really interesting opening. The viewer is taken from earth orbit, backing away from the earth, out past the moon, past Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and on out of our galaxy. As our planet shrinks away in the distance and our Sun fades to blend in with the other stars, the viewer is taken still farther until even our galaxy blends in with others. The insignificance of man in the enormous reaches of the universe is portrayed extremely well. And yet, to this little planet on the edge of a little galaxy, came the Savior. He sought us out. And while in the enormous distances man seems small and frail ( and he is) God thought us worth the very best that He had, and gave His only begotten Son so that whoever would believe on Him would have everlasting life. If you want a good view, look to Jesus. There we can see all the way to Eternity and beyond. There, in Christ, we can see ourselves for what we are and for what we can become in Him. In Him we find meaning, and value, and reality.
Often, like those stuck in the city or someplace else where they have no view, we cannot see past ourselves. Look away from yourself! Look unto Jesus. He is the Beginning and He is the End. Only in Him will you find the answers for which you have searched. In Him our eyes are truly opened and we see clearly for the first time. Then we understand that we only thought we could see before! If you know Him, then spend some time sharing the view with others. A beautiful view is always better when it is shared with someone. That's why God made it in the first place!
Pastor Jim