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One of my favorite things to do in life is to hike, but there's a caveat to that. There has to be something worth seeing for it to be a worthwhile hike. So, if you can hike along a beautiful river, a lake, or an overlook, I'm in.
My absolute favorite type of hike though is one that leads to the top of a mountain. These can be some of the most technically challenging and physically draining, but there's something about earning the view at the top. It's that view that draws me in.
One of my very favorite views is at the top of Parker Ridge in the Canadian Rockies. It's an amazing spot. The hike, itself, is pure switchbacks to the top. It's physically demanding, and it mentally pushes you to see what you can do.
But, once you are at the top, you stand between two mountain peaks on a saddle at about 7400'. To the right is the Saskatchewan Glacier coming down out of the Columbian Icefield. It looks like a river of ice that leads to the bottom of the valley below. Down in the valley, there's an immediate pond that the glacier drains into in the summer, and a river that leads out of it – ultimately draining into another pond further down the valley. Directly across from the ridge, there are waterfalls that plummet for hundreds of feet down below, and if you look around, you see nothing but snow-capped mountain peaks for as far as the eye can see. It's breathtaking!
What I love about the view though is the reminder that it provides me when I'm there. You can't help but feel tiny. You are looking around at a landscape that seems enormous, and as you stand there taking it in, you recognize that you are just a tiny little dot in the scene. It always reminds me of my place in life – I'm just a speck.
Why is this important?
It seems as though we are living in an era of self-praise and adulation. The focus is on puffing ourselves up – our appearance, our credentials, our belongings, our children. These are supposedly things that make us important, and we often fall into the trap of making ourselves the center of attention.
The Bible though tells us who we all are – sinners. Romans 3:23 points out "…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The key word there is "all".
Romans 3:10 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one." The key word there is "no one".
The point is that no one can claim an elevated status before God. Every single one of us is viewed by God in the same way.
Why does this matter? Because people often put their identity in their achievements and their status. Pride enters the picture, and an elevated standard of self-worth evolves out of that.
So should I go around moping about my self-worth then according to what the Bible says?
Nope. That's not the point either. Just recognize that God has equipped you to play a specific role in this life. Anything we have that's good, ultimately comes from God. Your looks, your intelligence, your family heritage, your business savvy – these are all gifts from God, and he expects you to be a steward of these things. That means that you and I are simply to protect and care for the things that we've been given. They aren't ours, but we've been given the
opportunity to have oversight of them. God wants us to be a servant with all of these different aspects.
The cool thing about serving in this role is that there is tremendous value in being a servant. Philippians 2:3-4 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." The Bible tells us to place others above ourselves. This is the exact opposite of what many people in today's world tell us how we should find value in ourselves.
The minute you start thinking like a steward and recognize the blessings God has given you to serve him is the minute you will have a proper understanding of your relationship with God.
If you want to know how much God loves you, just consider that he sent his son to earth from his side to redeem you. He didn't want to see us sit in our quagmire of sin. He provided a way for us to overcome it, and that was through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. We couldn't do it ourselves, but Christ could and did.
We shouldn't go around groveling about our sinful nature – beaten down and sour. Nor should we be boastful of anything. We should simply recognize in humility our starting point in life and be grateful that God loved us so much that he provided a way to overcome the sin that entangles us.
Sometimes, sitting on that mountain top provides a much better perspective of who we really are in God's eyes