Can't Go Around It; I'm Not Afraid

It is the understatement of the ages to say that God is complicated.  The goodness and love of God is true in their simplicity, but fail to describe the massively amazing complexity of God.  Additions to His Being that reflect any degree of severity often cause confusion (to say the least) through to abhorence (at best). In Piligrim's Progress, nine times in the Third Stage of the story, Bunyan refers to God as the "Lord of the hill."

If Bunyan was referring to the Hill of Zion, we'd probably get it.  Or in simpler terms: the hill of triumph and victory would strike a harmonious chord.   For God to be God He'd have to be the pinnacle, the top, the conquistador!

Surprise, surprise, that's not what the author had in mind.   The hill that little Christian met on his path to the Celestial City was desribed as:

"I beheld then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the hill Difficulty . . .."

Bunyan described God as the Lord of this Hill.  The Hill called Difficulty! "They saw that the hill was steep and high."   Bunyan knew that difficulties encountered along the pilgrim's path were not there by accident or  freak of nature.   Nor where such obstructions placed their diabolically by the surpremacy of Evil.  No!   Bunyan knew that our God, our Lord, is the sovereign master of such hills.  How did Christian respond to the hill before him?

"This hill, though high, I covet to ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend,
For I perceive the way to life lies here:
Come, pluck up, heart, let's neither faint nor fear!
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe."

What a great lesson for us who know Christ.   "Better, though difficult, the right way to go . . .."

So to change the ol' camp song: "Can't go around it; can't go under it; got to go over it," is the best approach when it's the right way!