On a recent trip to Colorado, I found a new metaphor for my faith. Traveling west on I-70, I always start looking for the thin outline of the Rocky Mountains somewhere around Limon. Rarely are they visible from there, but I look anyway, just on the chance that weather conditions are right. By Deer Trail, they should be clear. Certainly by Bennett. But this time, they were hidden from view by a combination of clouds, mist, and smog. They just weren't there. Not even from Brighton.
Had someone moved the mountains? No, of course not. They just weren't visible.
But I found myself thinking of my Christian faith, my assurance that a Creator/Redeemer God does exist. Some people just don't see this truth, however. Does that mean it isn't true? Or does it simply mean that, because of conditions or poor visibility or whatever reason, they are not able to see it. That metaphor struck me and stuck with me. And the next morning, behold! The mountains were there. Of course, they'd been there all along, just like God is, whether people believe it or not.
aAs I drove into the mountains a few days later, another metaphor came to mind.
I had not been in the mountains for quite some time and had forgotten how majestic they are: rock walls rising high on either side of Highway 7, through the canyons; the river, full with freshly melted snow, rushing with white water; the newly-leafed aspen and the scented pines standing stately in groves all across the mountain sides and meadows. Wow! What a view!
And then it hit me. (No, not a falling rock—lol), but the idea of how those mountains were a picture of the Trinity. The Rocky Mountains are not just rock walls rising high; they are not just a river rushing to one side of the divide or other; they are not just trees that are green in spring and summer and gold in autumn. They are a combination of all these. When we talk about the Rocky Mountains, we include all these aspects in our thoughts. Anyone who has been there knows.
And so is the Trinity a blend or combination of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. When a Christian speaks of God, he or she speaks of all three personages of the Trinity. When we praise God, we praise all of the persons of the Trinity.
Sometimes, it's hard to explain that to a non-believer. Some accuse us of having three gods. But that would be like saying that there are three Rocky Mountain ranges comprising much of Colorado (and other states). There are the Rocky Mountains, made up of all that makes them up, that characterizes them. And there is the Triune God of the Ages, made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Of course, metaphors have their limits; but within those limits, these two metaphors stood out to me. And I had a wonderful time in Estes Park, soaking in the beauty and grandeur of those mountains and communing with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while I attended the Colorado Christian Writers' Conference.
What metaphors or symbols of faith have impressed you? Please share them with me by posting a comment or emailing [email protected] or [email protected].
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