Horizons
Many years ago I sat in my car on the top of a mountain with a friend. The view was expansive; you could literally see for miles – lush green forests as far as the eye could see under a clear, blue sky punctuated with the occasional floating white cloud. She posed a question: “Do you see that horizon, that place which we cannot see beyond?”
I thought for a moment, not fully comprehending the profoundness of her statement and how it would stay with me for the rest of my life. Now I realize we live our lives surrounded by horizons, seeing so easily what is in front of us but not actually seeing beyond. Yes, we may think we do. We make elaborate plans for our future and believe we know what lies ahead. We may have been there just moments ago, but do we truly ever know what lies beyond our immediate line of sight?
Yesterday afternoon my wife and I were driving home from a short trip when I looked up and noticed a ridge of mountains ahead. It formed a horizon so clear and vivid that I pointed out how the mountains ended in a skyline and how even though we couldn’t see what was on the other side, still we may think we know what’s there. The truth is the other side of the horizon is never attainable because it’s always moving away from us. As we move, it moves, and we never really know what lies ahead because we will never reach the end.
I like to think this helps explain our purpose on earth – the realization that even though we cannot see what lies beyond the horizon, we should never be afraid of reaching the other side.