May 4, 2022
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” ~ Matthew 5:8 The Message
I wasn’t really looking for anything. I was just enjoying the view from the summit of Mt. Pilatus. Rod and I took a bus from Luzern to Kriens, and then two different cable cars that took about 30 minutes to ascend 3,480’ from the town to the top. Although Mt. Pilatus often shrouded in clouds, we had clear weather and could see the surrounding Alps, the Swiss city of Luzern, and the clear blue waters of Lake Luzern far below. We commented that the view looked too good to be true, like a movie set. We spent some time outside on the viewing platform, then went inside to warm up with a drink in the visitors’ center.
We sat next to some windows that faced the summit. Snow lingered on ledges. An opening to a shallow cave sat just about eye level, and I could see the shadows of a few hikers standing in the cave’s opening. I sat looking at the stunning grandeur of creation without looking for anything in particular. Then I noticed something on the ledge below them, an animal of some kind. I wondered aloud, “Is that a mountain goat?” The people at the next table, binoculars in hand, overheard me and replied, “It’s an Alpine Ibex. We’ve been watching it for a while.”
I am not sure why the Ibex suddenly came into focus. What I am sure of is that it was a gift, a blessing. If I’d occupied myself in the gift shop or was in a hurry to get back to Luzern or was so absorbed in checking email using the free WiFi available, I’d have missed it. And I wouldn’t have been any the wiser.
In Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Jesus says this, “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” Jesus had his inside world, his heart and mind, put right. That enabled him to see Gods action in flowers and birds, wheat and weeds.
Maybe not looking for anything enabled me to see what God wanted me to see.
Thanks, God, for the Ibex ~ Anne
Wayfinding 