February 1
Beyond Your Grasp
What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. ––1 Corinthains 2:9-10
I don’t recall the first time I heard the expression, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” The idea—which I later learned is from the Robert Browning poem “Andrea del Sarto”—is that we should strive for goals that are beyond our current (cap)abilities. In reality, del Sarto was an actual Renaissance artist who painted in the shadow of the masters and then used stolen money from the French crown to buy a house in Italy for his wife. A sad tale of a man who realized—too late—that he sacrificed greatness for thievery.
So what does some 15th century Italian dude have to do with us? Just this:
God will never allow us to feel comfortable living in the wilderness; He will push us to be the men He designed us to be. Why? Because He created us for more. And when we cash that in for anything less than God’s best, it leaves us spiritually bankrupt.
Jesus struggled in the Garden, asking God to take the enormous task before Him away from Him. Despite the overwhelming weight Jesus was experiencing, He surrendered. When God calls us to do things that seem to exceed our skill set, He will pave the way and fill in the gaps. When you ask the Lord to help you reach further than what your human grasp can accomplish, He will show up in ways that will both surprise and humble you.
When we fully surrender to God’s will, we realize that the gifts and capabilities He’s given us are not ours to keep—they are meant to be given away. This makes the experience of accepting what seem like impossible tasks, possible. Fun? Not usually. Easy? Rarely. Difficult? Almost every time. Rewarding? Also, almost every time.
So what does this look like in day-to-day life—when we ask God to stretch us beyond what we think we are capable of to accomplish things we couldn’t otherwise on our own?
- Stressful striving turns into quiet assurance.
- Insecurity in being “over your head” turns into confidence that God is the One making things happen.
- Fear of being found out as a fake turns into a deep sense of authenticity as you relate to God and others.
- Transactional score-keeping turns into relational and spiritual surrendering of things that suddenly seem less important.
From a spiritual standpoint, when our reach extends beyond our grasp, it means we’ve joined hands with the One who will take us further than we ever imagined we would go.
Father, help my reach extend beyond my grasp when it comes to things that You value, rather than things that I’m fixated on. Let me let go so You can take control.