When Spreading Your Wings Too Wide Leaves You Crippled

The width seems easier at this point. Our children are growing up in an era rampant with “opportunity.” Raising well-rounded and “successful” children has become the primary goal of many American families. We want our kids to experience life to the fullest, and we have countless avenues that lead to such an end. With good intentions, we design a family life that is bursting with WIDTH. We seek out schools that boost our youngsters’ achievement and churches that boost their character. We make the most of the varied opportunities that allow our children to “try new things.” We sign them up for music lessons, dance class, sports leagues and scouts. We long for our children to develop skills and talents that will “take them far” in life; perhaps secure their admittance into a great college, lead them to a satisfying career or pave the way for achievement when they leave our homes for good.

While “width” is not always an unworthy pursuit, a wide life can not stand without depth. For without deep roots, even a broad and beautiful tree will cease to bloom; worse yet, when the storm comes, even a mighty tree will topple without roots that run DEEP into the soil below.

Wide living seems to happen quickly- we just move from one opportunity to another, from one season to the next, but deep living is cultivated at a different pace. Growing roots takes time. And time is at a premium these days. I’m beginning to believe that DEEP living simply cannot happen by default; it must be developed deliberately.

Christ’s life was a beautiful picture of both width and depth. His days were full but not frantic; deliberate but not draining. He engaged in much- healing the hurting, preaching to the masses, standing for justice, challenging the political and religious systems of his day, and feeding the hungry. He reached WIDE and ministered to many.

Yet, our Savior lived DEEP as well. He rose early to spend quiet time with His Heavenly Father, He fled the crowds in order to refresh his weary soul, and though he had come to save the whole world, he chose a mere twelve men in whom to invest his time and energy. While He was well aware of all the “opportunities” within his reach, Jesus did not seize every one. He did not heal every person who was sick, nor challenge every person who was wrong, nor encourage every person who was downcast, nor visit every town that He passed.

In the words of Ann Kroeker, author of the book Not So Fast, “Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. When I look through the Gospels, I see that He was attentive to people’s needs and deliberate about His actions. He was responsive and busy, but not frantic. He was occupied, but not frazzled…Jesus’ actions seemed to flow from His purposeful and decisive heart, a heart that was focused on and yielded to the Father’s will…” (p 105).