Aspiring to New Heights

My cat, Wylie, is obsessed with heights. As a kitten he'd try and jump as high as he could and grab door frames, holding on for dear life. Then he accomplished the mantle over our fireplace, from the floor to the bar in our kitchen, and my 4' tall dresser. His most recent feats were from the floor to the top of the refrigerator, then from my dresser to the top of an open door (which he stood on like a balance beam for a minute!) and finally from the fridge to the top of the kitchen cabinets. Since reaching what I would think of as the highest point in the house, he's become obsessed with finding something higher. He climbs on things and paws around door frames, trying to find footing to stand on. He looks at the ceiling constantly and meows if he can't get to where he wants to go.

I thought he'd achieved it all (except for an awkward ledge that I hope he never discovers--we'd have no way of getting him down). And then this morning, while getting ready for work, I heard a loud crash. It sounded like the blinds were being torn from a window downstairs. But no destruction, or Wylie for that matter, could be found. A little later, I heard another crash. I went downstairs and once again couldn't find any evidence of his mischief. This time I went exploring. I found Wylie in our office, sitting in front of a tall bookshelf with a box of legos lying next to him. The first crash must have been an attempt at the top of the shelf, only to find himself sliding down the window blinds. The second must have been more successful--if only the legos hadn't blocked his way!

Wylie will stop at nothing to reach new heights, and will try and try again despite failed attempts. During my quiet times this morning, I found myself asking God to help me see through His eyes what would make our ministry GREAT. I feel like we've been doing a good job, but I don't want to settle for that. I don't want to ever get comfortable or complacent in a well-working ministry. Just like Wylie isn't content to settle for the top of a refrigerator, I want to keep looking for new heights.

I admire that once Wylie finds a new jumping point, he practices that leap over and over again to become more confident for his next adventure. It's only been a matter of weeks between discovering the refrigerator and this morning's attempt. How often do we accomplish something in ministry and then say "done," and sit at that place for a year, or even years? We need to make sure that when implementing something new we master it, but once it's working well, look for new and additional things to master.

I'm curious where I'll find my cat when I return home. And, I'm curious where I'll find my ministry when we start looking up and diligently checking for new heights.