Go Up

I was only one of a multitude of people. You were there too. We all were. We awoke every morning to the sound of the trumpet insisting we begin our work. This morning felt no different. As I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I looked up to the top of the hill. The castle. It seemed to shimmer with light as the sun reflected off of its towers and parapets. Or maybe it wasn't the sun. The castle appeared to have its own light, radiating a white glow that made the sun look a dim shade of yellow. Even the walls around the castle were studded with jewels inlaid in gold. I could only imagine what kind of riches were inside.

As I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I imagined the King on His throne, living in the middle of that opulence. My imagination soared. What if I was of noble birth? What if I was summoned by the King to live in the glorious light of His presence?

Now I was really dreaming. I shook my head to wake myself up. I looked around at the shoddy conditions in which I lived, then stuck my head out of the rickety door of the shack that I called home. Everyone else was already making their way down the path to the fields we worked every day. I shuffled my feet along the dirt floor to the basin to wash my face. There was no need to change my clothes. The rags I wore were the only clothes I had.

As I walked down the dusty path, I watched the multitude of people who walked ahead of me. Every day, we walked down this dusty path. Every day, we toiled to grow food in dusty fields that never produced quite enough, and whose fruit never tasted good. For a moment, I longed for something... something better. Again, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The fruit didn't taste good? I had never thought of that before. Why should I concern myself with the flavour when I hardly had enough to fill my belly?

I began my work. It was not fulfilling, but then again, it never was. We lived and worked at the bottom of the hill. We were the lowest of the low, and the layout of the city reflected this clearly.

Our city was set on a hill. At the top of the hill was the castle where the King dwelled. I could not possibly describe it. For one thing, I had never been anywhere near it. I could see the spires reaching high into the blue sky, and it always seemed to shimmer with light. I could see the most lush, brilliant green trees around it and vines with fruit growing up to the top of the highest tower. To divide the King's living quarters with the rest of the city, a magnificent wall had been built. There were gates into the King's area, but they could not be opened except by decree of the King. I only knew this to be true, for from where I stood, I could not see those gates.

Below the castle was the hub of the city, where I could only assume the middle class lived and worked. I had never seen this for there was a wall between us and them. This wall was not inlaid with jewels. It was made of large grey bricks. I leaned on the wall, wiping my sweaty brow. Dusty perspiration dripped into my eyes, and I tried to blink away the grit. Sometimes I felt hopeless when I looked at this wall, and today was no exception. Why was I at the bottom of the hill? It seemed unfair. All the people living on the other side of the wall were living in affluence simply because they had been born there. Why was the wall here? It had a gate but it, like the gate to the castle, could only be opened by decree of the King. To my knowledge, it had never been opened. The hinges appeared to be rusted shut and I wondered if it could open at all. There had been rumours as long as I could remember that one day, that gate would open, and...

A trumpet blast interrupted my thoughts. Normally, a trumpet announced the end of the work day, but I could tell from the position of the sun and the lack of hunger in my belly that the day was still young. And it sounded different... louder... clear... it sounded like LIGHT. Once more, the trumpet blasted and then a voice gently, assertively commanded, "Open." A scraping, grating sound filled the air. My heart jumped within me and for a moment I forgot to breathe.

The gate! It was opening!

The sea of people of which you and I were a part paused for a moment. Is this real? Is this really happening? The story we had heard from childhood was not a myth? Is it possible that we might be free?

Then, as if with one movement, we rushed for the gate. It seemed to take forever, yet no time at all. Once we were through, we looked about in silence and awe. The first thing I saw was that there were jewels strewn haphazardly about. Lying on the ground, sitting on tables, hanging from trees; necklaces, rings, bracelets, and silk and satin robes were everywhere. I began to slowly walk toward a tree ornamented with golden necklaces. Then I realized -- there were no other people here!

The only people I could see was the crowd who just came through the gate. Where was everyone? Is it possible there was no one else in this city but us? Were these jewels here for us? Weren't we the lowest of the low? Maybe there was no one better than us after all. Maybe all of humanity was at the bottom of the hill. Maybe we had believed a lie all this time that we were not worthy... that there must be others better than us who deserved more. Maybe WE were meant for this! I ran to the nearest tree with a gleeful shout. We all seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time and there were a few minutes of joyful chaos as we clamoured for the riches we saw around us.

I put on a gold coloured silk robe and arrayed myself in various items of splendour; sapphire earrings, pearl necklaces, jade bracelets studded with various stones, and diamond rings. I looked down at my hands, which only minutes before had been hard at work. They were calloused and grimy; the rings and bracelets appeared out of place. I suddenly felt self-conscious, and quickly lifted my eyes to see if anyone was watching me. A man nearby who had just discovered a chest of gold coins lifted his head with a look of disbelief and our eyes met. Our eyes spoke of the wonder around us, yet our voices remained mute. What could I say? What could he say?

As my new surroundings became familiar, I realized that there was plenty of time and plenty of riches. My desire to hoard these treasures faded, my heart began to slow to its normal pace, and my mind began to ponder. I sat down on a grassy hill beneath a gold-laden tree, watching the activity around me. Then I had a thought that made me sit up straight. Just before the gate opened, I had heard a trumpet blast and a voice. It was the most breathtaking, beautiful voice I had ever heard. The authority in that voice was almost terrifying, yet it was comforting. I knew I had heard that voice before. Maybe not audibly, but there was a familiarity about it that made every cell in my body desperate to please the one to whom that voice belonged. I realized that the gate could not possibly have stood against the command to open. I knew that absolutely nothing in the world could stand against the authority of the one who had spoken.

There was one thing that baffled me: Where was the one to whom that voice belonged? I knew for certain that I would recognize him, even though I had never seen him before. Where was he?

I tried to remember the stories that I had been told since I was a child. They were stories of freedom. But I could not recall anyone telling me what happened after the gate opened. Freedom. No one had ever defined the term for me, but somehow I knew I must meet the One for whom my whole being longed, or I could not be free even in the midst of these riches.

I wondered if I was being selfish. I was in beautifully landscaped surroundings, more spectacular than I could ever have dreamed about. I was also surrounded by unspeakable riches. What else could my heart desire? I found myself speaking out loud to the voice which had commanded the gate to open. "I am so grateful. Thank you. But what I really want is YOU. I'm sorry if I'm asking too much. But I want to know who you are."

I held my breath, almost expecting an audible answer. But I didn't even hear a whisper. I exhaled, and suddenly a peace that I had never felt before washed over me. It didn't matter as much where I was... I felt that I could even have been at the bottom of that hill again and it would have been alright, as long as I felt that peace.

I stood up and looked around me. The scene had changed somewhat. No, not the treasure. It remained the same. But the people... Most people were still milling about, looking at their new surroundings. But some were fighting over their treasure. Two men were fist fighting over a purple silk cloak that lay in a heap beside them. They trampled on it as they wrestled, and it began to look more and more like the ragged clothes they wore before coming through the gate. Behind them, hanging on a fence, were many purple silk cloaks that were identical to the one they were fighting over. I shook my head in disbelief. There were outbreaks of fighting all over.

There were some people, however, who were sitting or standing calmly and peacefully. Peacefully... Yes, when I looked at them, I could see the same peace radiating from them that I was experiencing. And I knew that they were also anticipating the arrival of the Peace-Giver.

Only a short time passed when we heard the same trumpet blast again. "Open," was the command that came forth, and my heart leapt within me with anticipation. I knew that I was soon to see the giver of the command. In the distance, the gate to the King's quarters opened. No one moved to pass through the gate. We knew that was not to be.

Suddenly, through the gate emerged a chariot. The horses were whiter than snow, the chariot was made of pure gold and it was inlaid with diamonds. But those seemed pale compared to the One who was driving the chariot. It was He! The Prince! The horses galloped down the hill toward us. Those who had been fighting amongst themselves appeared terrified. Some fainted where they stood and others even ran down the hill and back through the gate of their captivity. Most people stood unmoving, wondering what could possibly happen that was more exciting than what had already taken place. Those of us with "the peace" knew... This was the Prince of Peace! We were to meet Him! Joy unspeakable flowed through me. My heart danced and my face almost hurt from the smile that I could not contain. I knew at that moment that He was coming for me.

The Prince stopped in front of us. In a voice that all could hear, He said, "Follow Me." My feet were propelled by my heart's desire to be near Him. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Thank you!" I shouted with glee. The chariot raced toward the east, and effortlessly, I kept up. I did not look around me. I could only focus on the One who had given me the command. He left a trail of love behind Him and I basked in it as I walked. I knew I was not the only one who followed, but I was only truly aware of He and I. We reached a wall that ran south to the bottom of the hill, and to the north, to the King's quarters. The Prince stopped and turned to face us.

"Hail, Prince of Peace!" I shouted, and several others echoed my salute. "But aren't You the King?" asked someone to my left. "I AM" He replied. I felt confused for a moment. Wasn't He the Prince of Peace? He looked at me kindly, and responded to my thoughts. "I AM." I looked up into His eyes, and was so overwhelmed that I could not stand. I fell to my face and worshipped Him. "You Are! You Were! You Forever Will Be!" All those who were there fell before Him. I was unaware of the passing of time. It could have been hours, days, or minutes. I wanted to worship forever.

Then He spoke. "Crumble." The wall before me collapsed into fine dust. "Follow Me" said the Prince, the King. Then He climbed off His chariot and took my hand.

When the dust completely settled, I saw before me a river. It was wide and the flow was fast. It was a deep, sparkling blue, and shone with a light that came from the river itself. It flowed down from the top of the hill, and continued as far as I could see. I desired so badly to jump in. I knew that in that river, was life. True life. But I didn't want to let go of my Prince's hand. "I will never leave you", He assured me. Uncertain, I looked up at Him. One glance into His eyes, and I knew that He could only speak truth, and with no more hesitation, I plunged into the depths of the river. I sank, but never reached the bottom. When I bobbed to the surface, I saw that all the grime and dirt I had accumulated over the years was washed clean. My skin was fresh and new. The jewels I had adorned myself with were also gone. I knew that I would not need them at my destination. I looked up. My eyes followed the path of the river up the hill. I saw it go under the jewel studded walls of the King's quarters. I saw it enter the castle, then the throne room. I then saw, with the eyes of my heart and by revelation from the Prince, that the source of this River of Life was the throne and the One who sat upon it. "Go up", urged the Prince, "Go up."