Who moved the Mountain?
Mark Suter  Marking Time  A few years ago, my wife and I took a drive through the country  the western half of the country, that is. Even thats stretching it because though we drove thousands of miles over a three-week period, it would take many more weeks and months to truly see the West. Its a long way there, a long way between places we wanted to see, and an even longer trip getting back home. Its true that cities are overcrowded, traffic is congested, and peace and quiet are hard to find, but its going to be a long time before we run out of room. I caught myself saying over and over, Its a big country. And yes, the sky really is bigger out west! One of the big things we dont see around here are the mountains. I dont remember any purple ones, but we were struck by one particular mountains height and majesty. As we were driving along one of the interstates, we could see it off in the distance to the front and to the right. A while later, Becky looked out the left side window and said, Look, that mountain moved. A few miles farther, it had moved back to the right. Nothing. We were moving. We were all over the place, heading first this way and that, speeding up and slowing down, putting up with the other cars and trucks, and stopping here and there along the way. But no matter which way the car was facing, that mountain stayed put, unmoved, unmovable, and unchanged. One of the basic, undeniable truths of life is that there are certain basic, undeniable truths of life. Some things dont move and never will. Today, for example, we were talking about whether we have had too much rain lately. After another day of hot humid sunshine alternating with sudden downpours of rain, I said, It just rains whenever it wants to.  One of the hardest jobs for us parents and grandparents is teaching our little ones to deal with the unmovable facts of life. They are forever asking what and why, which is their job. Adults do it too. But sometimes the only answer is, Thats just the way it is, or the worn-out clich, It is what it is.  Someone has said, The number one job of a parent is to teach children that they cant have everything they want. The sooner we learn that, the better equipped we are to live life as it is, not as we imagine it to be or feel it should be. Im not sure how well were doing with getting that across, however. Instead of working and learning to be self-sufficient, were subsidizing a lot of idleness and irresponsibility. Dont worry about paying your debts or getting a job or passing your exams or even paying your taxes on time. One of the immovable mountains in human societies from time immemorial is that marriage is a lifelong, exclusive, all-encompassing union between one man and one woman. No matter which way we point the car our society is currently riding in, that mountain stays in the same place. We may move, but the reality of our created human nature does not. One of the most abhorrent lies currently taking root is the notion that a childs sex is assigned at birth regardless of ones physiology or cell makeup. Its harmful enough teaching little boys they can choose to be a girl if they feel like it. Inflicting such notions surgically and irreparably mocks decency and reason. Given the disproportionate importance we place on sports in this country, Im surprised that the feminists and womens advocates havent pushed back harder against boys competing in girls and womens sports. Maybe the upcoming Olympics will expose the unchangeable, once obvious, truth that men and women are different. Still, the deluded geniuses spouting an anything-goes agenda arent likely to be convinced even by incontrovertible facts of life and reality. Sure, we live in a free country, and people are different, and we want to be tolerant of our differences and generous in our opinions. But I fear where were headed morally, politically, financially, and socially if the next generation doesnt learn that the mountain of truth and reality isnt moving anytime soon. Mark Suter was raised on a farm in Kentucky before becoming a pastor. He and his wife, Rebecca, recently retired after 20 years in ministry in Martinsville. He can be reached at mark@markasuter.com.