Are Your Ears Popping?

Have you ever taken a road trip through the mountains? Or flown on an airplane? When you reach a certain height, your ears pop. It is an uncomfortable reminder that the altitude has changed.
Today in church, we sang a song called "Higher Ground". The song says, "I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining everyday, still praying as I onward bound, Lord plant my feet on higher ground." I've been thinking a lot lately about Christians being called to live by higher standards, being called to take the high road, being called to press onward and upward toward our heavenly home. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul talks about pressing on. He does a quick reality check and says he knows he has not yet arrived and so he continues on.
Isn't this the mindset we as Christians should have? Everyday, shouldn't we be aware that we are on a journey and that we must continue to press onward and upward? Shouldn't we be making conscious efforts to walk on the moral high road, to live by the higher standard? Shouldn't our eyes and our hearts be always looking heavenward? Shouldn't the change in altitude (or attitude, perhaps) cause our ears to pop?
We can either turn around and go backward or we can continue climbing onward and upward. The road to heaven is a climb while coasting backwards is easy. We can choose knowing that our choice affects our destination. If heaven is our choice, then we will be pressing on and climbing higher. The last part of the song says, "I want to scale the utmost height and catch a gleam of glory bright". That is our goal---our glorious destination---higher and higher----upward and onward. Never giving up but always heavenward bound. Climbing with hearts singing and ears popping---headed for home.

Neva