Mt Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak is regarded as the realm of Ngai, god of the local Kikuyu people. Traditionally, all Kikuyu home were built to face this sacred peak. They call it Kirinyaga, or place of light. (old.magicalkenya.com)
The Kikuyu believes in one God, Ngai, the creator and giver of all things. (http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/004.html) Because of this traditional belief in one supreme god, the Christian missionaries translated God as Ngai when they translated the bible into the native Kikuyu language.
I was expecting I guess something like the American Appalachian Mountains. Mt Kenya, however is a dormant volcanic mountain and so completely different. This is a mountain for serious mountain climbers. There are no winding roads arounnd the peaks and through the valleys. There were 4x4's available for hire that could take you over 10 kilometers of very rough terrain to the base of the mountain. We did not have the time or the money to make such a journey, so we satisfied ourselves by enjoying it from afar.
Our encounter with the mountain of Ngai reminded me of our encounter with God. We cannot approach God on our own terms and we cannot fully know God. We could not get too close to Mt. Kenya and we cannot get too close to God. In both cases, however, there is a surety of the presence of both. I did not have to reach the summit of the mountain to know its presence. I also don't have to know God completely to know God is present.
Let the sure rock solid presence of the mountain stand as a sign of my faith in the one God, creator and giver of all thingss.
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