I came across a great life metaphor this week.
John Muir was an explorer extraordinaire. I like the way Eugene Peterson describes Muir, "He tramped up and down through our God-created wonders, from the California Sierras to the Alaskan glaciers, observing, reporting, praising, and experiencing--entering into whatever he found with childlike delight and mature reverence."
In 1874, Muir was staying at a friend's cabin in the Sierra Mountains. A storm set in one December day. It was a fierce storm--trees were bending over backwards. Instead of retreating to the safety and security of the cabin, Muir left the cabin and entered the storm. He found a mountain ridge and climbed to the top of a giant Douglas Fir. He held on for dear life "expereincing the kaleidoscope of color and sound, scent and motion." Muir rode out the storm "relishing weather: taking it all in--its rich sensuality, its primal energy."
Peterson interprets the Muir metaphor this way. "The story of John Muir, storm-whipped at the top of the Douglas Fir in the Yuba River valley" is an "icon of Christian spirituality." "A standing rebuke against becoming a mere spectator to life, preferring creature comfort to Creator confrontation."
Climb the tree!