Stairway to Heaven

At 9@9 last night we focused on Genesis 28, the story of Jacob's dream of heaven. Jacob lays down on a stone one night and has a dream in which he sees "a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." (Genesis 28:12) God and Jacob make a covenant and when Jacob awakens, he erects his stone pillow to distinguish that holy place.

For Jacob, this was a thin place. His marking it ensures that everyone who might pass by would know of his holy encounter. Just a couple of weeks ago, I happened upon a place that seemed exceptionally thin. I was not able to erect a monument, as we were driving at the time. Anyhow, I don't find that stones make exceptionally good pillows...

We were in Ireland and driving from Dublin to our cottage in Ballyvaughan. Roads are very unclearly marked and we were forced to stop and ask for directions. We were pointed to the road that we were looking for, but the man recommended that we go a different way. We decided to take the road that we had already planned on. This tiny, winding road took us up into the heart of the Irish countryside and we soon found ourselves in the middle of nowhere.

Our tiny road

I'm not sure that our driver and navigator (Mom and Dad) enjoyed the drive quite as much as I did, as they had to work a little harder. For me, however, this was one of the most powerful moments of my entire week. The scenery was stunning, indescribable. We passed a giant waterfall, discolored by the minerals in the rock. It sprung forth from the rocks, falling hundreds of feet. Purple heather and lush grass carpets the hills and valleys. Rocky crags line the road and occasional sheep look up at the rare passing car. I felt as if I were at the top of the world and if I only rolled down the window, I would touch God. I was listening to "Celtic Reflections on Hymns" on my iPod. The beautiful "Father Hear the Prayer We Offer" came on and the lyrics hit me hard.

Not forever in green pastures

Do we ask our way to be;

But the steep and rugged pathway

May we tread rejoicingly

Not forever by still waters

Would we idly rest and stay;

But would smith the living fountains

From the rocks along our way

Our drive was not classically beautiful, but rugged and harsh. Mist obscured our vision and settled lazily in the valleys. It was not an easy way to drive, especially once the heavens opened and rain poured down. But we must tread these difficult paths and our way is not always easy. Even so, beauty can be found in hardship. The extra hours that we spent on this road wore me out, but I wouldn't do it differently if I had the chance. God touched me in this rugged, rough terrain. To witness this beauty, we had to brave the perilous, twisting road. We have to climb the rocks to see the mountain view and we must brave the storm to see the rainbow.

But the amazing thing is that God is there. He is everywhere, but on this one road in Ireland, He was almost tangible. This road was was a sort of stairway to heaven and I could feel God coming down.