We had a large ornamental frog sitting on a white wrought iron table flanked by two white wrought iron chairs. It is about 20 feet from our back porch where we have coffee together most every morning. About 60 feet from our back porch on beyond the table is a large solid stump that is cut about 40 inches tall. We moved the large ornamental frog from the table to the stump that is 60 feet away, and on the white table that is about 20 feet away we put a green frog that is about half the size of the other frog. The smaller green frog shows up good on the white table, and the large frog shows up good on the stump that is further away. However, with the change of positions, we took note of how the smaller frog on the closer table now looks considerably larger than the frog out on the stump 60 feet away, when in reality the frog on the stump is more than twice the size of the closer frog. The frog on the stump is a big frog, but because we are further away from it, it looks smaller than the frog that is closer to us. As we looked at the frogs, we both agreed, “Yes, there’s a lesson!”
The further we are from God, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of God in our daily life, the smaller they are to us. Then, the smaller things of life, flesh, and satan, become larger to us than God himself. When we step off our porch of mere observation and walk toward the big stump where the big frog sits, we pass the small frog on the white table so it is behind us. As we continue to walk toward the stump, we begin to realize just how big that frog is. When we shift from observation to participation with God, and continue in that way, he becomes bigger to us, and sin, self, and satan begins to be behind our back. The key is to step off the porch of mere observation. God’s word to us is to turn to Jesus Christ and commit our life to him, be baptized in water to show that commitment, and receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38,39). These are steps toward the big stump. As long as we are sitting on the porch, this big God actually seems small to us. Participation brings revelation. A personal relationship is revealed in our life as we continue to walk toward him. We come to experience things in the kingdom of God that we had only heard about or wondered about. The resurrected Jesus Christ is really alive, the Holy Spirit is the same Spirit as we read about in the Bible, and the miracle working power of God is still operating today in response to faith just like it did in the Bible. God is big. Walk toward him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).