I love going to a Colorado Rockies baseball game on a warm summer evening.
For me, nothing beats the panorama and environment of a Major League Baseball stadium. Since we rarely splurge on close-to-the-field seats, I usually take a pair of binoculars so I can zoom in on a particular piece of the field.
Binoculars are great, but there’s a danger. Using binoculars requires expectation–you have to decide in advance where the interesting stuff will happen. When you limit your field of view to a few square feet, you can miss what’s happening in other areas.
That’s always the problem with pre-conceived expectations. When you attach yourself to an expected outcome, you run the risk of missing other possibilities.
We’re ramping up for the third edition of FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR. When you’ve done something twice and it’s gone well, there’s this temptation to expect this time to be just a new and improved version of the last two. Binoculars.
What if God was using those first two tours as a warm-up. Maybe He’s got something REALLY over-the-top in store for us this time, but we’d miss it if we insist on planning exclusively for what’s come before. If the only acceptable outcome is within the limits of our expectations, we leave no room for God to do something remarkable.
I think our lives might be like a big, green baseball field. God’s doing incredible stuff all over the park, but too often we’ve got our binoculars zoomed in on home plate because that’s where we think He should be working.
Perhaps I shouldn’t pray for God to do this or that, the stuff I’m sure would be the best possible results. Maybe I should ask Him to use our efforts and keep our eyes open for opportunities and possibilities. Maybe I’d do better with “Thy will be done” instead of “please do it my way.”
If we let go of our expectations, put down the binoculars, and take a broader view, we might be amazed at what’s happening right in front of us.
Please leave a comment here.
