Sitting on the deck of my cabin in the clouds of Black Mountain, I overlook the town and its valley originally inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. The town is in the shadow of the peak of Black Mountain; upon which is a panoramic vista of mountains clad in oak, maple, and beech trees with splotches of the darker pines and fir. Fluffy white clouds seemingly skirt the mountaintops as the high sunlight reflects off their floating plumpness.
The story of my finding this gem of mountain views dates to my spiritual journey to Black Mountain in response to God’s call to “move on” and vacation in the mountains in May of 2016. Surprisingly, I was apprehensive about taking the trip. I drove through torrential rain most of the journey, but eventually I outran the front to find the azure sky dotted with billowy wonderings. Cresting a rise and unbeknownst to me, the Blue Ridge Mountain range came into my view. A smile uplifted my dark face as I listened to REO’s “Ridin’ The Storm Out” just moments before. I felt I was coming home.
Interesting, because I have never lived in the mountains. Yet, there is a spirit of love and acceptance by the mountain people who call you “friend” when they first meet you.
I look back on that visit with a gleam in my eye for it forged a bond with the mountain that drew me back and inspired me to publish my first novel, PURSUIT. The story is about a college grad that aspires to make the American Dream his life, only to find that he is on a road to perdition, of sidetracked escapades that bind his life in the control of a lying vanity with whom became his idol. The novel became a best-seller after its first year in print.
Yet, that is what Father promised me as I sat in my chair off the one-lane roadway that climbed the mountain’s face, listening to my mentor, Ted Dekker, describe the basis of my true identity as a son of the Father. When I realized this, that He was not only God but also, Papa, Abba, Father, my life exploded with my dreams being realized. He said, “Let me do it,” and so, I surrendered my will for His cup of my life, filled with the sweet, living water of His Son, Jesus.
The chill of the evening mountain air drifts across the porch perched on this precipice. My wife sits in a wide rocker filling only half of it. A mountain woman who draws ancestral ties to the Cherokees and the pioneers who created a settlement when the first road was carved through the mountains in 1850; she is the daughter of God that He reserved for me with His promise in 2010. Oh, how I waited long and patiently for that day when, after a trek to Looking Glass Rock, I had supper at the Trailhead Restaurant. Was it because she called me “friend” that I opened the eye of my heart? She served my meal, and at the time, I thought nothing of it. But, when I returned to view the autumn foliage, she was there again, waiting on my table, and this time, I called her “friend.” Maybe it was the comeback of my response, or possibly she remembered my visit in Spring, or could it have been divine providence that we would connect?
She had a dramatically beautiful tattoo that encompassed her shoulder and forearm. It was an owl with eyes that seemingly peered into mine. The owl symbolizes wisdom, mystery, and transition. The Native Americans associated the meaning of owl with wisdom, foresight, and keeper of sacred knowledge. The owl is a creature of the night, and its nocturnal nature symbolizes dreams and secret knowledge. Now, keep in mind that my identity is a son of the Father, He is in me, and I am in Him, so I view any symbolism in the Light of my Father. I am the light of the world, and I see with a spiritual eye of Light. There is no fear or darkness in my life, because Christ is in me, and I am in Him.
We spent the next day together hiking the Old Toll Road on Rainbow Mountain. I listened as she told me the story of her heritage, the blend of Cherokee mysticism and Christian values that wove through her family lines. I asked her about the owl, mildly concerned that it could represent dark spirits, the rulers of the night. She laughed at my concern, and then became serious in her reply.
“The owl is the wisest of birds. It thinks more than it flies. It can see from any direction, rotating its head 360 degrees. Nothing passes by the owl unnoticed. It flies at night when no other birds can, and its wings surpass that of an eagle. An owl makes its home inside a tree, safe from the ravages of wind and weather, like building a house on a rock than on sand. I bear this image on my right shoulder to honor the source of my wisdom from God. God created every living creature for a purpose, and each represents a faction of Him. Do we not describe God as a lion, an eagle, and a lamb?
It was a warning, the owl, of upcoming desolation. She bore the symbol of humankind’s doom if they did not find The Way. What is The Way? This is how Jesus explains that He is the Way to the Father:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:1-14 NLT)
And you my beloved are in Christ, and He is in you. He is the all in all, and you are a part of all. Your identity is in Christ; you are a son or daughter of the Father, an heir of Christ who is your Brother.
I set my pen down and closed my journal. The sun set behind the mountaintop. With my wife beside me, her premonition of desolation and wisdom written on her shoulder, the screech of the owl in the ruins of mankind, I knew that I was with a daughter of God that foretold of the destruction of this world, of a new Jerusalem that would descend from heaven for Christ to reign forever more.
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