Come.
Take a walk with me, I have something to show you.
All around us buildings are burning, the streets; flooding. People are crying out for help, they are wounded. Children - vulnerable and alone. The faces around us are covered in dirt and grime; you don’t know who to trust, where to turn, who to help first, or even how.
I see you friend, you need a minute, a safe place where you can breathe. As we walk through the dark streets, arrows fly past our faces. Someone is hurt and in agony, yet we need to keep moving. Fear mixed with rage that points to the true feelings of deep sadness and grief over what has become of the city around us swirl under the surface. Front yards with playing children, back patios made for BBQ have all been turned into a war zone.
What do we do? I know the paralyzed feeling inside, it’s in me. too. I reach out my hand to you, beckoning you to keep going with me. I know it’s hard to move in the middle of the destruction; take another step, and another. You can do it.
We start climbing a hill, leaving the smoke and fire of the city behind. Trees surround us, a feeling of peace begins to fill your cracked soul, slowly pushing out the fear.
Your shoulders begin to relax. You take a deep breath. The stars are bright and the moon leads the way. Tension you didn’t realize you were carrying ebbs slowly away.
The path curves and a small trail goes to the left. We take it, follow it to a clearing, there we see a boulder jutting out of the ground. We sit. The city we left is spread out below.
Peace that had begun to ease over and into you as we climbed, it’s overwhelming now. Like a rush of water it cascades over your head and shoulders running over you bringing with it love, hope, and light. We look around as this wave, this presence, like a person joins us on the rock. We see no one, still there is no denying we both feel the Spirit among us.
Then you hear a Voice, it isn’t audible in your ear, but strong words echo in your mind. Words so calming and sure, you know they don’t come from your own shaky soul. This Spirit engulfs you as if a part of you but also above and all around you, it is comforting strength. Like when being held you know it is ok to let go.
The words flow around you, in you, through you. They speak in how they are spoken just as much as in what they say. The Speaker is power, love, compassion, wisdom and truth.
“This is my city.” The Voice speaks. “These are my people. They are hurting, severely wounding each other. All clawing for truth, light, hope, justice and freedom. In their hands they hold small pieces of a much bigger picture yet they build whole stories on the pieces they see in front of them. Their hurt, pride, grief and hate are blind spots in their vision. They can’t see.”
Then the Voice turns to you. The Spirit’s nearness holds you in an embrace more tangible than any you have ever experienced even though it is not physically felt.
“Dear One, you have also been struggling to see; but I see you. I am here over this city. I see all the pain. The people holding the piece that is theirs staring down in their hand, I see all those pieces and the complete picture they make. You are one of those pieces, valuable, individual, precious, loved, seen.”
It continues, “I know you feel fear, anger and helplessness. I know the things you thought you knew are spinning out of control. I am glad you are here, that you came to this mountain. My perspective is necessary for the work I have for you to do.”
We sit together in the engulfing presence of the Spirit. The voice resounding in our hearts and minds, peace greater than any we’ve known swirls around us; we rest in it.
We know we must return to the city and yet we don’t want to leave. How do we return? Are we able to carry this peace and perspective with us? Will those who are hurting know where we have been, feel the difference on us? The Spirit like a sweet fragrance surrounds us, will others notice and be drawn to it as we have been?
“I will never leave you,” the Voice returns and in these words clarity comes to your soul. Helplessness, anger, fear - they dissipate. Maybe, just maybe, you can return to the city and bring this peace to those who desperately desire it. Maybe you can reach out your hand and beckon others to this mountain. Maybe the change the Spirit brings can change others like it is changing you.
“Love” the voice reverberates, it exhales in the trees rustling in the nighttime breeze. It is a warm breath on your cheek, a soft touch on your arm. “Go and show love. Wherever and however you can. Bind up wounds. Where there is uncertainty; listen. Where there is grief, mourn. Where words like arrows cut to the heart go there and carry the scent of this mountain, bring peace, show love, let my compassion flow out of you as it has run over you in this place.”
We know now we can bring a taste of this mountain and the Spirit to those in our burning city. We know too, it is time to return. As we descend, the Spirit’s presence lessens outwardly, while inwardly the more we surrender to the Spirit and believe, it’s presence becomes stronger.
Together we know it is us and those like us who have been to the mountain and experienced the Spirit and have seen this perspective who will bring the sweet aroma of healing to our broken city.
It will be risky, we sense it in the depths of us. To crawl out from our fortresses of safety, to cross into the territory of those who we don’t perceive to be like us. To exchange weapons of warfare for listening, compassion, and weeping over deep hurts, whatever they may be. To take others by the hand and bring them to the mountain, so they can experience the Spirit and hear the Voice for themselves.
The city is coming closer, the smell of smoke, untrusting eyes look at us warily. We smile, they shift to look back, cocking their heads, curiosity in their stare. The smell, the aroma, the peace - it wafts to them as we pass.
We have hope for those who make the journey we made and gain the needed perspective on this loved city, that the Spirit will move from within these and healing will come to the city the Spirit loves.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” Revelation 22:17