The Temple Above the Clouds

High upon the mountain, a temple rests above the clouds.

At dawn, mist gathers around its ancient stones, hiding the temple from the traveler below. The path disappears into white, the summit vanishes, and for a while there is nothing to see but the next stone beneath one's feet.

Still, the temple remains.

The mountain does not worry when the mist comes.

The pine does not question the wind.

The bird does not carry tomorrow in its wings.

It rises with the morning, finds what it needs, and rests when the day is done.

Why then does the human heart spend so much time fearing what has not yet arrived?

Sit quietly beside the mountain.

Listen to the wind moving through the cedars.

Watch the mist cross the ancient roof.

Let the mind become still.

What you have been given may be greater than what you have been asking for.

The smallest desire of the soul—a moment of peace, a hand held in love, a warm cup of tea, another morning beneath the open sky—may already be an abundance beyond counting.

Give thanks.

Not because the mountain has become easier to climb, but because you have been given the strength to take the next step.

Not because the mist has lifted, but because you have learned to walk within it.

The temple does not call to you from the summit.

It simply waits.

And perhaps this is the mystery of faith:

You do not need to see the temple to know that it is there.

You do not need to see the whole path to take the next step.

You do not need to understand the silence to be held within it.

For God walks with the traveler through the mist.

And when the path becomes steep, His angels stand unseen beside the stones, guarding the feet of those who journey beneath His care.

So put down your burden of tomorrow.

Let the mist be mist.

Let the mountain be mountain.

Let the next step be enough.

Breathe.

Give thanks.

Walk gently.

For the temple remains above the clouds, whether you can see it or not.

And when at last the mist opens, you may discover that you were never walking toward God at all.

You were walking with Him.