Monday, October 4, 2010

Mountaintop Experiences

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (the day before he was assassinated).



Now that my mother has retired, she has become quite the world traveler.  As I write this, she is visiting Israel and Egypt.  She will be visiting Mt. Sinai, the place where Moses received the ten Commandments.  It reminds me of the first time I saw the movie, "the Ten Commandments",  with Charlton Heston playing Moses.  I loved the scene where he came down from the mountain with that gray hair and that "look".

Yesterday, I visited a mountaintop near Julian with my wife and our youngest son.  The hike was just over four miles.  There was a storm nearby and we could hear thunder as we made our ascent.  At various points along the way, my wife would tell me she did not want to go any further.  I told her that this climb was just like our lives together, always a storm brewing and a journey filled with twists and turns.  "We need to complete this", I told her.  "Just like we need to complete our journey here, together."

What if Moses had stopped short of his hike up Mt. Sinai?  How would his people have found a way out of the desert?  There is a promised land waiting for you.  Before you can enter, you must do what is asked of you on this planet.  Take it one step at a time.

It was exhilarating to reach the mountaintop yesterday.  There are still many more mountains to climb.  Maybe one day I will get an opportunity to meet you and we can climb one together.  May your journey be filled with many blessings as you put one foot in front of the other...

2 comments:

Spirit Warrior said...

Mike,
Loved your blog this morning. You gave me an idea. Dr. Martin Luther King, Teddy Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela each shared some insightfull quotes with the world. I'm going to dig some of them up and use them. I loved your quote of Martin Luther King.
God bless you,
spirit warrior

Michael Mulligan said...

The Holy Spirit led me to this quote, just like He led me to you and the writer's critique group. Thank you for reviewing my first submissions. I am looking forward to returning in two weeks.