Trans Fig Your “ings”
Trans Fig
Your “ings”
“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do
not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can
say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer.” ”
Matthew 21:21-22
This
past Saturday we were in the Tetons and I snapped this picture from the gates at
the Church of the Transfiguration. The verse above came to mind, and my immediate after thought
was, “thank you God for my doubts.” I don’t want the responsibility of what
would happen if I could say to this
mountain `go, throw yourself into the sea’. I don’t want to choose which sea, what
time, the aftershocks, or any of that. Count me out! Too big a job! Someone
else can choose to serve on the mountain-moving prayer committee. I am very happy
with this one where it is.
Our
family has been enjoying a summer of seeing geological wonders. We’ve journeyed
from Oregon’s Crater Lake, to Northern California’s Lava Beds, to Idaho’s
Craters of the Moon, to Montana’s Grand Tetons. My last stop this summer may
need to be to the dentist to correct my constantly dropped jaw. All of this
geological magnificence has me reminiscing about college days with my favorite
evening study buddy. She was studying geology while I was studying
biochemistry. Until now, I never really thought of it, but its fun to think,
now, that over coffee at Canterbury Booksellers, usually hunkered down in the
glowing warmth of the shop surrounded by the freezing snows that drifted over
most study nights, we had so much of “earth study” covered. She would be
studying the wonders of soil, water, rock, mountain, and magma, while I was
immersed in microbe, plant, insect, and animal education. She was a very hearty soul who would
wear her cargo shorts on our treks to the coffee shop right up until the first winds
of real frostbite weather would sweep through. I caved in to full woolen
coverage far sooner.
It
is incredible now to see, to hike over, to learn a little about, and to be
mesmerized by the wonders of the mountains and volcanic rocks my friend was
studying in her textbooks and articles. Thinking on how it has taken not just
hundreds, or thousands, but millennia
of years to carve this vast and imposing landscape from magma and rock, has a
way of transfiguring. It pushes my mind beyond how I can possibly figure
anything. Millenia! My lifespan is
barely even an infinitesimal fraction of that time. Grand Teton is about 13,770
feet high. I’m 5 foot 7 inches (as exaggerated on my driver’s license). I’m
like a gnat on a buffalo by comparison! The small impact I had on moving any of
these mountains was extremely limited to the miniscule shifts of pebbles, sand,
and rocks under my feet as we hiked. The sum of what I will learn of biology or
geology in my lifetime is merely a drop in many oceans of knowledge that is out
there to be known.
With
all my doubts, physical size limits, minuteness of knowledge, and my awkwardly
pun-warped ear, I hear Jesus in this verse inviting me, inviting all of us
always, to the holy mountain places where “trans fig your `ings’” happen.
Lord,
we are small and often feel so very insignificant on this earth in light of
You, in light of Your universe, in light of Your planet. We recognize how
little we are capable of knowing, doing, changing, and being by comparison to
these scales. Bring what is Eternal and Divine into all such places within us that
seem vast and imposing. May the God who moves heaven and earth transform our
work-ing, our play-ing, our
study-ing, our los-ing, our winn-ing, our wait-ing, our volunteer-ing, our weep-ing,
our wander-ing, our figur-ing, our lov-ing, our struggl-ing, our lead-ing, our
ach-ing, our rest-ing, our rejoic-ing, our doubt-ing, our liv-ing, our
serv-ing, our dy-ing, our pray-ing, indeed all of our do-ing, feel-ing, and
be-ing – for these appear as mountainous backbones of our lives. Please wrap
these imperfect, small “ings” into the perspective and works of Your unlimited perfect
nature, Your unlimited all-fulfilling love, and Your unlimited eternal goodness.
Please move us beyond our earthly limits uplifted by Your unlimited heavenly
mountains. Amen.
