Arm’s Length

[Editor’s note: It is my full intent to finish chronicling and posting my Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness Posts.  They will be coming shortly.  This post is an exercise in returning to blogging.]

Monday I had an encounter with one of my 50,000 coaches.  Today my coach was Steve Russell.  If you’ve ever lived in Cedar Rapids and been a believer over the last 10 or 15 years, you’ve probably been impacted by Steve one way or another.  I first met Steve in the late 90’s when he was helping me get up the courage to start my first cell group.  While I don’t know Steve well, ever since that first day we met, I’ve always known he’s been for me and more importantly for the Kingdom.

So Monday, when he was standing in my front yard, it was no surprise that he was encouraging me.  What surprised me was the content of the conversation.

I was telling Steve a little bit about what was going on with our house church. The conversation turned to what he was doing.  Steve has been in transition for a couple of years now.  But he looked at me with his patent Steve Russell smile and said, “You guys are doing what I always wanted to do when I grew up.” I quickly replied telling him that was funny because I thought he was doing what I wanted to do when I grow up. And then Steve said something profound. “”It’s amazing what a you can see from an arm’s length away, isn’t it?”

That statement stuck with me and it’s both an encouragement to me where I’m at and a challenge to you where you are.  I need to be able to see what I can’t because I’m too close.  I need to be able to look at my life sometimes “from an arm’s length away.”  What about your life and the work of God in it are you not rejoicing in because you’re too close?  What does God, the angels, and everyone else around you celebrate, but you look on with despair?  Not everything is done, nor will it be until Christ returns.  But can you get outside of yourself and see the work of the Spirit in your own life? And can you alert others to what God is doing in theirs?  Maybe you can be one of someone else’s 50,000 coaches today.

Photo Credit: Untitled by Sunshinecity