Most of us think of the words “That’s one small step for (a) man, a giant leap for mankind” when we think of the moon walk. (The astronaut version…not the Michael Jackson sequined glove version). Ironically, history has shown that it was truly the “by-product” technologies that were developed for the space program (smoke detectors, cordless tools, calculators, lasers etc. etc…) that turned out to be far more important to society that simply putting an astronaut on the moon.
I think life is a lot like that. We tend to think in terms of big “splashy” goals: moon landings, diplomas, landing the “perfect” job, reaching that “ideal weight” etc. Many times the real benefits of those goals are the day by day, step by step progress we make toward our goals. Discipline, problem solving, and perseverance learned along the way often tend to be as valuable as our final goal.
At actionchurch we have a big Goal…a “moon landing” size goal. We want to be the church for all the “people who don’t like church” in York County. We want to be the movement that shares the revolutionary love of Jesus Christ with all of our neighbors that otherwise will not find a suitable “fit” at any other church in York County. Right now that number is in the tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands…and it’s growing every day!
It’s an overwhelming goal…a “lifetime” goal. It’s easy to wonder if it’s even possible to achieve. The great news is that I am convinced it is the “small steps” we are taking every Sunday that will pay off. The person who invites that one friend…the crew member that finds a slightly better way to “wow” our guest on Sunday morning…the people who consistently donate financially even though no one is “watching” or “making them” do so…the musician that gets up early on Sunday morning after a late Saturday show to give their best on Sunday morning. I believe it is the camaraderie, the friendships, the shared sacrifice and shared victories…the discipline and skills aquired that will change all of us as we work toward our goal of seeing everyone in York county changed by Jesus.
So go ahead…have big goals…REALLY big goals. Just don’t forget that it’s the “small steps” along the way that really count. Take some “small steps” in your life this week. Join us at actionchurch as we take “small steps” together…