I was inspired by this story (It’s a shorter one. Read it.): http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3389079&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1
Not because it is such a great feel-good article, and not because there’s anything otherworldly about the achievement.
Rather, it was inspiring to see someone with so little ability use what he had to accomplish something wonderful. By our society’s standards, a 78-year old man would be picked last for the bowling team. Or any team for that matter. Add to that the fact that he’s legally blind.
But he used what little sliver of peripheral vision he had and he did something amazing.
Personal sporting achievements don’t appear all that often in the scriptures. Actually, they don’t show up at all.
But often we see a story of someone with one gift or one chance to make the right decision. A short man climbs a tree, a woman pours a bottle of perfume, and a blind man yells as loud as he can to get the attention of Jesus. They’re not models that we should follow, or trophies in a trophy case for their respective actors, but they show a truth that the scriptures teach throughout: We have little, and we are simply called to use it.
The greatness of a Christian journey will not be measured by the relative accomplishment on one’s resume, the awards and trophies in their religious trophy case, and the renown and respect they have earned within the community. Rather, the Christian journey will be marked with moment after moment of little choices – to use what you’ve got in each situation, no matter how big or how small.
When we get to be the religious version of a 78-year old blind man, our opportunities to glorify God will neither be greater or less than the moments we have right now to serve the Lord. He will always be in charge of the results, but we will always have that sliver of peripheral vision to use or not. It’s a huge responsibility, made possible by an even larger grace that was offered to us on the cross.
Thank God daily for the slivers you have, and praise him for what he can do with it.
