At the Discovery Museum the other day I watched as Phoebe stood high on her tiptoes and reached out with her hand to touch the water exhibit. With every bit of energy she could muster, she stretched up and out to accomplish her goal. I couldn’t help but wonder if I reach up to God and out to the world with as much zeal and determination.
C. T. Studd (missionary to China, India, and Africa) once said, “Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.” Watching my daughter strain to grab what was out of reach for her height reminded me of Studd’s quote.
It made me question, “Am I nibbling the possible or grabbing the impossible?” I personally don’t want to nibble on what it easy and possible. Sure, it is more comfortable. But Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him but believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” God receives great pleasure when we in faith reach out to grab what is impossible.
But I think that what God wants us to believe and reach for is not the larger house, the bigger promotion, the better vacation package or the stronger life insurance plan. My 1.5 year old will often see me and start running with her eyes focused on me, her arms flailing, her feet going almost faster than her body. When she gets to me she doesn’t let up her speed but she throws her arms up in the air and reaches for me.
What if we did that in our relationship with God? What if we so trusted in God’s goodness and God’s love that we ran with abandon into His arms moment by moment?
My little not only stretched her body up to reach high, but she also extended her hand over and out to try to reach the water. I think the impossible God wants us to reach for includes the passionate extension of his hope and goodness to others through our efforts.
If we know Christ, we do not exist on earth for ourselves. We exist for God and for others. We often teach our teams, “It’s not about you. It’s about Jesus.” When we focus on ourselves, we find lots of reasons to complain. But when we realize we exist for Christ’s purposes in the world, our worldview shifts and our perspective changes. We look for God’s movements within our moments, within our days, and we look for ways God can use us an instrument in other’s lives.
The other day my husband had set up some recording equipment. We are about to launch a podcast. My older two kids saw it and asked about the equipment. I explained what a podcast is. My 5 year old with eyes glowing asked, “Is this so we can tell more people about Jesus in our town?” When we said “yes,” he said with a huge smile, “Cool!” Our 7 year old daughter went to the mic and began to teach, “I want to tell you about Jesus….”
Do our eyes glow, do we jump at the opportunity, or do we reach out to grab the impossible. What if God found us with child-like faith that believed the impossible could happen so that more people could hear about Jesus?
Today, I am choosing to believe God and reach for the impossible – to reach up and out – for His glory!
Question to Ponder: Share your journey of trusting God’s goodness even when it seems hard or share your experience of living out what seemed impossible so more people could experience Christ.
