Elephant Eating

When my children were young, they loved to go to the circus. Each one of them had their favorites at the circus ... Meghann loved the clowns; Matt loved the monkeys, and Brad loved the elephants. They would sit in quiet amazement as the performers and the animals displayed their talents for the crowd. 

On one particular visit to the circus, we were treated to a surprise up close encounter with the elephants outside of the arena where the show was being held. As we stood near the animal handlers, I was overwhelmed by the size and stature of the massive creatures as they swung their trunks and raised first one foot and then another in response to the commands of their trainers. Seeing them from a faraway seat inside was altogether different than standing on the ground next to them and gazing up at their enormous bodies close enough that we could reach out and touch them.

A couple of days ago, something a dear friend said to me many years ago came back to me and has caused me to think about the elephants that are present in my life. She said, "You can't eat an elephant in one bite, but you can eat an elephant one bite at a time. With God, all things are possible."

How many times do I look at the issues in my life and see them as impossible or too huge to overcome? How many times do I focus on the giant sin that is present in me and think that it can never be brought under control? How many times do I think that my mind or heart can never be trained to follow God's will rather than my own?

Teach me, Lord, that with You all things are possible and that nothing is ever too big for You. Nothing too wide that You can't cross. Nothing too small for You to care about. Nothing too high for you to climb. And no one too sinful for You to love ... no one ... not even me.