Emmaus Mountaintop

I went to a closing ceremony for a Walk to Emmaus weekend on Sunday. Thirty-five men stood up, one by one, in a room full of people and expressed what the weekend meant to them and what they were going to do as a result of the weekend. Every single man spoke of how awesome, healing, restoring and emotional it was. They spoke of how God's love was revealed to them in a new and powerful way. Most said they couldn't explain it with words. I understand because I have had the privilege to experience the weekend first hand. My best description would just be a "spiritual mountaintop".

When stating what they were going to do as a result of what they experienced, the answers were full of passion and from the heart. Many were going to be the hands and feet of Christ. Others were going to evangelize with a new passion. Some mentioned adjusting priorities and being better husbands and fathers. A few said, "I could tell you I'm going to do all kinds of things but I won't. Just watch me." All of these are great things to do and apply in our lives. I would classify them as visions on the mountaintop.

We have all experienced those mountaintop moments. Times when God speaks clearly and we see things from His viewpoint. (if that's possible) Whenever I've been there I just wanted to stay there. God never allows that. Those special, rare moments are meant to encourage and inspire us. They are teaching moments. God speaks and unveils himself. We see his Glory on the mountaintop. I believe He reveals himself and teaches us something so we can comeback down to the valley and live out what he revealed to us. God doesn't just want to teach us He wants to transform us and use us through these experiences.

It is in the valley that we live. (work, school, bills, the regular routine) It is there that we must live in the glory that God revealed to us on the mountaintop. Satan and the world try to rob us of that. The distractions and temptations surround us. Our faith is tested in the valley. Our character is tested in the valley. Will we begin to forget or doubt what was just revealed to us? Will we try to do it on our own? I know I have doubted and feared and tried doing it on my own. It never lasted. The vision was lost. I have also remembered and had faith and relied on God to bring the vision to a reality. I wrote it down, I prayed, I pursued, I believed. It happened.

I'm going to do the same for the men I knew this weekend. I've just wrote it down, I'm going to pray for them, encourage them to pursue their vision, and I'm going to believe it is going to happen through the will of these men and the power of Christ. Decolores.