When I was in school I was on the track team. I did pretty well running the 400 and 800 meters, and sporadically they allowed me to compete in the long jump. On the days we would practice jumping I couldn’t help but marvel at the other jumpers that competed in the high jump and pole vault!
The pole vault seemed to need too much instruction and technique, but how hard could it be to just jump over a bar? I found out that jumping 2, 3, 4 feet was easy but once the bar was set higher it seemed too be impossible for me to do. I watched the high jump athletes soar over the bar with ease. I knew that if I tried to jump at those heights I would surely not make it, so I went back to running and jumping – low and long. I walked under the bar and told those jumpers I wouldn’t be taking up any more of their time.
I’ve thought about that experience a lot recently. In our lives we tend to run the same things over and over again. They’re safe and we have had some success. Even if we look at doing something else the fear of “knocking the bar off” keeps us from trying. May I suggest that “knocking the bar off” is not the worse thing that can happen. Walking under the bar and not trying at all would be a tragedy.
Walking under the bar leaves us with untapped experiences, opportunities, and trying something new that might change our lives. God wants us to raise the bar when it comes to faithfulness, purposefulness, obedience, and serving Him. Knocking the bar off doesn’t mean we have failed it means we have attempted to do something bigger than ourselves.
Setting the bar higher demonstrates that we are willing to try, grow, trust, follow, and believe that “all things are possible in Christ”!
The African Impala is a big antelope that can jump 13ft high and 30 feet long in the wild. You can see them at the zoo. Ironically a 3 foot fence keeps those born in captivity secure in their areas. Why? They raised them since they were young and were never taught what they can do naturally.
Therefore a short fence intimidates them from trying to get out, and they don’t even attempt to go over it.
What is your 3 ft fence? What is keeping you from going higher and farther than you have ever gone before?
God wants you jump. Are you willing?
Have a good and Godly day.
