In ancient times, in the absence of a temple, the Lord’s prophets might summit a mountain to find a holy place to commune with him. The example that often comes to mind is Moses receiving the commandments upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18–20). Abraham and Isaac climbed a mountain to perform the sacrifice the Lord had directed them to (Genesis 22:2). In the Book of Mormon, we read of two other prophets who conversed with the Lord atop mountains: Nephi when he needed directions how to keep the Lord’s commandment to build a ship (1 Nephi 17:7), and the brother of Jared when he required help with some logistics of his own journey (Ether 3:1). Jesus Himself climbed mountains to pray (for example, in Matthew 14:23).
A mountain, therefore, is symbolic of coming closer to our Heavenly Father.
In the Parable of Karl’s Earbuds, a group of friends touring a Mediterranean city pedaled up toward the summit to visit the palace, which can represent any attempt to draw nearer to God. It can also represent our mortal journey toward Him, which is more the interpretation I was thinking at the time I wrote it.
But Karl had a thing for his music, so much so that he refused to part with it for most of the ride. At various times, he missed turns, fell behind his group, and passed spectacular sights without seeing them. In the end, his obliviousness nearly cost him his safety. He was faced with a clear choice.
In our journey back to Father in Heaven, how often do we let a habit, a hobby, a personal preference get in our way? Do we recognize what it is that prevents us from making progress?
I believe that when Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler and directed him to “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21), He wasn’t saying that as a general rule, having possessions and being His disciple are incompatible. In my mind, the reason He gave this young man the answer that He did to the question, “What lack I yet?” is evident in the young man’s reaction: “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (v. 22). Jesus instructed him to remove the very thing that stood in his path back to Heavenly Father’s presence. At least at first, the young man struggled to do as instructed—a very real, human, relatable response.
It’s a different thing for each of us. Whatever holds us back from full discipleship is the thing that the Lord wants us to cast away, even to the point of being like a certain king of the ancient Lamanites, who prayed, “I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18).
Taking the path to the peak, reaching that palace, can be a challenge enough without placing obstacles in our own paths or carrying unnecessary weight. It may take some bravery initially to abandon those things. The great thing about it is that we don’t have to take even that step alone. We need to find the motivation in ourselves, just as the rich young man had his own agency, but I imagine that if he had the desire, yet realized he needed help to take the next step, and he had pleaded with Jesus for it, Jesus would have aided him in some way. And he will aid us when our desire is real.
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