What’s Tripping You Up?

I’ve been getting up (or trying to get up) early in the morning and go walking. I clearly need the exercise. But sometimes it’s really hard to get up long before sunrise and exercise. My deepest desire at 4 am is NOT walking! If I don’t give into the temptation for a bit more sleep, I get up, get dressed and don my MP3 player and then hit the road. I have a loop I can do around the local neighborhood that’s 1.5 miles. It’s early, so I don’t have to worry too much about cars - other than the paper delivery guy.

I’ve noticed then when I walk I have a tendency to devote too much attention to the ground right in front of me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to watch where you are going. But I sometimes find all my focus just a few feet in front of me. When I am doing that, I notice every crack in the asphalt, every weed that’s growing, every piece of trash, every fallen leaf and every oil stain left by a parked car. And guess what, there are lots of them. The road takes a lot of abuse between the cars, the weather and the ground shifting. The road looks like it’s quite a mess.

I’ve also noticed that when I lift my eyes and look down the road, to where I’m going – all that mess – all those cracks – all those oil stains, they all disappear. I can’t even see them anymore. The road now looks just fine. It’s smooth, flat and perfectly adequate for the task. My goal is now the next corner, not the next crack or oil stain.

What an enormous difference a change of perspective makes!

Are the cracks and oil stains of life tripping you up? Is that all you can see? Does everything look broken and messed up? If so, may I suggest a change of perspective? Lift up your head. Look to the goal. Don’t let the little cracks and stains of this life trip you up.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)