I heard this at a business seminar years ago. I was cleaning out some paperwork recently and rediscovered this truth. I am a firm believer in setting goals. If you don't have something to reach for... you won't reach.
I remember when when my daughter was little. She was probably about 2 years old. She would play with her wooden blocks. She was very good about building. She would stack those colored blocks one on top of another. I would say to her... "stack another one on top" and she would. You see what I was teaching her was to reach. Keep building... keep stacking... don't stop. The higher the block tower grew, the more excited she would get. I would encourage her... "Come on... one more. You can do it... be careful. Put it on top... really careful now." Of course, you know how this story ends. She would knock it down. I can still hear that baby laughter. That precious mother and child time of togetherness. A time of teaching and a time of molding her. These thoughts come to my mind clearly now that she is back in school working on her Masters degree. She reached one major threshold of her education. Now she is reaching towards another. Reaching... because she was taught to.
I remember another time of reaching. When my son was in 7th grade, he wanted to be on the football team. He was a perfect athlete for football. He was big. He was muscular. He was very strong. He was smart and could remember the plays. Off he went to football practice. After the first practice, he was upset. He wanted to quit. He wanted to throw in the towel... literally. But Pastor Bill wouldn't let him. He told him to "keep trying." "Not to quit." " Give it more time and give it your all." What your Pastor was teaching him was keep reaching. Do not stop reaching. Keep moving forward. There will be some pain... but pain will come... don't stop. Well, you know how this story ends... 10 years of football. He played on a football team all through junior high, senior high, and college. Reaching... because he was taught to.
God instructs his children with the same principles. We are to never stop reaching. We are to keep reaching. God wants us to do more today than we did yesterday. He wants us to do more tomorrow than we are doing today.
When I was in Israel this past summer, I was presented with so many amazing sights. I especially remember the upward drive to Jerusalem. Did you know that Jerusalem is built on a hill? We go up to Jerusalem. We go up to the Holy City. We reach upwards toward Jerusalem. We reach upwards toward the Holy City. The bus started changing gears. I could hear it down-shifting. It was adjusting the engine for the incline. I was thinking about how many people through the ages have marched up these hills. How many have reached toward the city of Jerusalem. Back in the day, they were marching on foot... not riding in an air conditioned cushy tour bus.
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known,
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.
Chorus:
We're marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We're marching UPWARD to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
(Isaac Watts)
If you don't reach and move forward, you will never get anywhere. Someone said once... God can't move a parked car. Well, they were wrong... God can do anything. He is the creator of that car, that parking lot, and that town. The point is we are to be moving. We are to be working. We are to be reaching upwards. March UPWARD to Zion... that beautiful city of God.
Happy New Year and let us move ahead in 2013.
With love,
Beth
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