Monique M. Keller
A deeper seeing exists than merely seeing with our eyes, the balls in our cranium lying deep in the ocular indentations of the skull. On a recent trip to the Drakensberg, my climbing buddy drew my attention to this deeper seeing that at times may elude us.
The backdrop is Monks Cowl, a popular start to many of the central Drakensberg walks. We have been excited about hiking in the Berg for weeks, but the weather forecasts predicted inclement weather. An open beautifully clear day before made way to a blanket of clouds, rain, and predictions of snow. “We will walk if it rains, snows, wind howling,” were her words. And we did walk through torrential rain and icy winds for three out of the six-hour hike with ice rain as the cherry on the cake.
Talking, trying to keep warm, and soon realizing we will not prevent rain from seeping into our clothes, but trying not to let our core temperatures drop too much we continued walking in the newly formed streams made by the deepening rain.
“Cathin peak is just there, on the other side of the clouds,” I told her often, “right there, I pointed.” She used one of those moments, with the promise that the goal and views that were just out of our sight for that moment, not far off and we are on track, albeit not to reach the peak on that specific day, and said, “what if in life this is exactly what happens? God promises us, a good life, He promises us that His closeness, to strengthen us and that the goal is just over there and we can’t see it at this point. But it does not mean that we are not close to Him or the goal. Perhaps we can not see the goal or the promises yet because we only see the problem clouds and do not trust in the goodness of God?”
As we continued walking back to our car the rain ceased, the sun started shining through the clouds. I turned to look over my left shoulder and there it was. Cathkin peak showing itself with a blanket of snow covering the peaks.
Trust and faith in God and the promises given to mankind require a deeper seeing; a knowing that in the end life is very short and all of it is in His hands.
With love always,
Monique
Writer of Teacher on the Mount