Weets Hill, Eternal View

Submitted by Alan Marsden on Sat, 10/01/2026 - 00:00

Returning from chapel some years ago, several of us walked back over Weets Hill. It is not the most direct route home, and its muddy paths and steep slope set me a-panting, but its views were marvellous. From its triangulation point, we attempted to observe Martin Top. From that distance, it was hard distinguishing a chapel from a farm; I resolved to go up the next time with binoculars. From such a height and distance, large buildings appear small. Our place of worship is no grand cathedral or sprawling minister, but neither is it a doll’s house. Yet from Weet’s summit, it might as well have been.

The troubles through which we go are large and terrifying, until we view them from an eternal perspective. If you are reading this, you are not in heaven, but we may still gain a heavenly viewing angle while on earth. In 1961, the Cuban Missile crisis had the world hold its breath. In 1976, we were concerned by the drought. In 2021, we were afraid of a virus, and in 2026, of Mother Russia's rattling sabre. All worthy opponents in their day, but their days have, or will, pass. From eternity, the fiery trials of earth are but little hiccups, inconveniences from which we may learn and profit. These words are easy to write and more difficult to apply, but as John ascended a high mountain to see New Jerusalem, so he also stopped viewing the less desirable aspects of his revelatory vision.