Months ago, as I was trying to grab something out of the pantry, I suddenly heard a loud crash. On the ground, in tiny little pieces, laid the results of the glass jar that I had broken. So intently was I focused on what I was after that I neglected to see the jar that was in my path. As I reached for what I wanted, I hit it and sent it barreling to the ground. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men wouldn’t have been able to put it back together again.
I find that what happened in the pantry that day sometimes happens in life too. Focused on what I want, I neglect to see what God has placed right in front of me. I reach for my desires, not seeing the good thing that He has placed in my path. I strain for my goals, my priorities, and my “needs,” running the risk of shattering what He has given me to do. I’m reaching for what I want, instead of reaching for Him.
It’s a dangerous undertaking. The glass jar became unusable, and if I am focused on “me,” I run the risk of not being used for His purposes. If I am concerned with what is important to me, I’m not concerned with what is important to Him. If I’m reaching for something so as to establish my little kingdom, than I’m not busy about doing the work of building His.
This doesn’t mean that we don’t have ambitions – that we are ambivalent about the course of our lives. It does mean, however, that our ambition needs to display God’s glory. Our goals need to be His desires for us. We should be reaching for Him, time and time again, and our satisfaction should be found in grabbing hold of what He has given.