Living Out Of The Mid-Range

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter”

I am in danger of living my entire existence in the mid-range of life. This is a safe place because it’s under my control. I don’t need to rely on anyone or anything else because, in this place, I have enough resources to get by.

Sure, things aren’t perfect. Communication with my wife and kids could be better. I could be less frustrated with character flaws that pop up every now and then, I could be less disappointed at not having achieved certain things in my life, and I could feel more loved. But things aren’t so bad that I want to change.

You see, in this mid-range I chop off the top and bottom ends of life because they are demanding. I avoid the top end because it’s easier if I don’t push myself or expect too much of what life should be like. And I try to forget the bottom end because it’s less painful if I don’t acknowledge how bad and in need I am. By managing my expectations, I can keep pain and disappointment away.

But by trying to lock these things out, I inadvertently lock myself in to something that’s not really life at all.

Jesus said ‘I have come so you can have life. I want you to have it in the fullest possible way.’ John 10:10 (NIrV). Life to the full means reaching for the seemingly impossible heights to which God calls us while at the same time acknowledging the depths of our lostness and our utter need for help. It means stepping out of our comfortable mid-range and following God’s call … through risk, through pain and failure, through dying to unworthy dreams, until we come out the other side truly alive.

They call it good news but it’s certainly not safe news. So … are you in?

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Glen Morris
National Director