I recently sat down with a friend of mine who was starting a new job. We all know how daunting (and exciting too) new endeavors can be. While we may be thrilled about a new opportunity to stretch our wings, at some point, most of us encounter a swarm of insecurities and self doubts that we have to fight off like a plague. And, while my friend was confident that God had placed her in her new position, as she shared what she might do in this role, I found myself telling her, “Don’t think too small. Our God is big!”
“Don’t think too small. Our God is big!”
The moment I spoke those words, I felt them boomerang directly back to my own heart. Where have I been thinking too small? Where have I been limiting God in my own life? It’s so easy to fix my eyes on my circumstances, my own limitations and my restricted resources. I’m great at sizing up impending projects and calculating the height, width, depth and cost of the undertaking to the point where I know precisely the time, effort and financial drain it will put on me. [Sigh]. But I seldom factor in God. When God is in the equation, conventional calculations go out the window! After all, He’s the One who masters time, distributes talent, and provides financial means! When God turns the switch on to do something, He illuminates unlimited potential!
Thinking big can also change how we view ourselves. We may normally look at what we have to give this world like a sparsely-filled offering plate at a chilly Sunday worship service. But God can take the smallest morsel of talent we have and turn it into a powerhouse of potential for His kingdom! He can take the seeds of abilities He planted in us long ago and make them flourish like an expansive vineyard in the California sunshine. With God, absolutely all things are possible! We have to stop thinking in millimeters and start thinking in miles instead.
So where have I been thinking too small? Where have I put unnecessary shackles on my perspective? My work? My relationships? My outreach? My giving? My prayer life? My answer is a humbling “yes” to all! Why have I chosen to nibble at God’s bread crumbs when He has outstretched arms that offer me a bountiful feast?
But let me be clear. I’m not suggesting that we try to manipulate God’s plans in any way or begin to think of ourselves in some kind of puffed up manner. On the contrary. We are called to be humble servants, anxious to fully engage in God’s business—without hesitation—without holding back. But we cannot let our own small thinking—our doubts and insecurities—become impediments to our actions and attitudes.
I believe God wants to do more in each of our lives. He wants us to dive deeper in prayer and be stronger in our faith. He wants us to love with fewer boundaries and give with less restraint. He wants us to dream bigger and reach farther. And as we get a better grasp on the true scope of our Almighty God—as we begin to think big—we understand that these things are entirely possible.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
God, give us minds that think bigger and eyes that see a broader picture, so we can do things far beyond our natural abilities to accomplish your plans for our lives, leaving a bigger wake in our path that impacts this world for Your glory! Amen!