It's Scary at the Top
We always hear the saying, "It's lonely on the top," which obviously means that in order to stay on top you have to keep others away. While that may be true, yesterday I found that by necessity it's somewhat scary on the top as well.
My summer will be filled with random jobs, one of which includes repainting my parents house. Yesterday, I was painting the trim work on the top of our shed when I realized that I couldn't reach the apex so I stood on the top step of my ladder but still had to stretch to reach the peak. Of course we all know every ladder by law must now include the warning not to stand past the second or third highest rung but my task required I overlook that. I'm not afraid of heights but standing on top of that ladder was probably one of the scariest things I've done in my entire life. My feet standing eight feet in the air and stretching to reach something eight feet above that made even the slightest breeze terrifying. I quickly brushed on the paint and felt relieved as soon as I stepped down to the second rung again. It was amazing how much comfort that lower level provided. Standing there completely safe, I began to reflect on what just happened. I was comforted by having something above me. I was no longer on the top and now the top rung braced my legs and provided me a tremendous amount of security.
How true in life as well. We are often motivated when we have someone above us in each position we find ourselves in. In the work place, a competitor can often bring out our greatest creativity as we strive to take some of their market share. While training for an event, a seasoned coach can bring us to our greatest personal achievements by encouraging us and explaining how to train. We are also often secured when we have someone watching over us. Anyone who has learned to ride a bike understands this principle. No child ever attempts to ride a bike for the first time alone. In fact, most of us never want our beloved parent to ever let go of the seat because we know with them back there we will be safe.
In our spiritual life, isn’t it comforting to know that we always have God standing there above us offering motivation and security as we run this race called life? In today’s world someone’s spoken word of commitment is often short-lived. We have countless examples of broken business deals, marriages, and empty promises. But we should never feel that is all God has to offer as well. There is no way we can take the step above God and thankfully that means we can always rest upon his step and feel the security he offers.
My summer will be filled with random jobs, one of which includes repainting my parents house. Yesterday, I was painting the trim work on the top of our shed when I realized that I couldn't reach the apex so I stood on the top step of my ladder but still had to stretch to reach the peak. Of course we all know every ladder by law must now include the warning not to stand past the second or third highest rung but my task required I overlook that. I'm not afraid of heights but standing on top of that ladder was probably one of the scariest things I've done in my entire life. My feet standing eight feet in the air and stretching to reach something eight feet above that made even the slightest breeze terrifying. I quickly brushed on the paint and felt relieved as soon as I stepped down to the second rung again. It was amazing how much comfort that lower level provided. Standing there completely safe, I began to reflect on what just happened. I was comforted by having something above me. I was no longer on the top and now the top rung braced my legs and provided me a tremendous amount of security.
How true in life as well. We are often motivated when we have someone above us in each position we find ourselves in. In the work place, a competitor can often bring out our greatest creativity as we strive to take some of their market share. While training for an event, a seasoned coach can bring us to our greatest personal achievements by encouraging us and explaining how to train. We are also often secured when we have someone watching over us. Anyone who has learned to ride a bike understands this principle. No child ever attempts to ride a bike for the first time alone. In fact, most of us never want our beloved parent to ever let go of the seat because we know with them back there we will be safe.
In our spiritual life, isn’t it comforting to know that we always have God standing there above us offering motivation and security as we run this race called life? In today’s world someone’s spoken word of commitment is often short-lived. We have countless examples of broken business deals, marriages, and empty promises. But we should never feel that is all God has to offer as well. There is no way we can take the step above God and thankfully that means we can always rest upon his step and feel the security he offers.
posted by Toph at 10:55 AM
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