A Weekend Of Taking A Step Back

Between our two garages is a small rock garden. It is notorious for growing over with weeds on a regular basis, making it look like this picture on the left. Even after the largest of the weeds are pulled, I could stay there for days trying to get all the little stragglers out.

Fortunately, I have better things to do.

But if you get on your hands and knees, like you're going to pull out the smallest weeds, it seems like they're everywhere and there's no way you can get them all. This narrow focus of a small snapshot is overwhelming, giving the impression that you haven't really accomplished anything.

But when you take a step back and look at the whole rock garden, it suddenly becomes clear that you've done some amazing work. What was once literally covered with brown and green weeds now looks like an actual rock garden. There is still a lot of work to do, cleaning up around the edges, but viewing it from a distance instead of with a magnifying glass helps tremendously.

It's a different perspective when you take a step back.

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

Make this a weekend of taking a step back - not from your work but from having to be seen. When you're up close and personal, all people can see is you. They see your achievements, your personality and your views on the world around you. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely not the most important thing.

John the Baptist knew that for Jesus Christ to come on the scene was the most important moment in human history. And for Jesus to make the greatest impact on the world, John was willing to take a step back and see the larger picture. He chose to move back and let the people take their focus off the little things of life that had grown up between the rocks in their hearts and see the bigger picture of eternal salvation that Jesus wanted so desperately to show them.

They wouldn't be able to see Christ if John had kept himself in the forefront of the picture. His decision to step back - decrease so Jesus Christ could increase - was the most impactful choice he had ever made.

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