I was tired.  It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.  I was mired in a pity party.    I had taken so much responsibility - - we call this "over-functioning" in the therapy world - - that I had left God's grace out of the equation!    How short-sighted!   How presumptuous!  How wrong!

As one of the pastors at our church, involved in the planning and administration of our current capital campaign, I had developed a myopic ministry mode!    I had gotten bogged down in the details and fierce/fast pace of the campaign and I had left out the most essential....until someone stated the truth...and the truth (as it always does) set me free.   This person, commenting in relation to our church's campaign stated:  "We can't do this."   He had our attention...then he went on to say, "We can't do this, but with God's help and guidance we can!"    It was like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my shoulders!  Because of one person's faith and wisdom, manifest through a brief statement, I now have a proper perspective.  I now have a peace about this.   I now have a renewed faith that we as a congregation, with God's help, can  indeed accomplish this vision which God has planted within us!     Wow!  How quickly we can develop a small faith and a blinded vision!  Reminds me of the guy that sold small sharks.   He stated that folks loved to purchase his small sharks for their home aquariums, and other habitats.    He went on to say as long as you keep these sharks in relatively small containers the sharks remain small.   However, if you put these same 6-inch sharks into their natural habitat (the ocean, etc.) they grow to be many feet in size.      That's the same way with Christians.    As long as we stay in our own small circle....in our own small thinking....in our own limited faith-perspective...we remain small, baby Christians.     But, when we have a God-sized, fiercely God-dependent faith....we grow so that we may have a greater impact for God's kingdom.    And, the weight is lifted off our too-small shoulders....putting the focusing back where it should be:  upon God and his sovereignty and glory!