How much farther?

I am a compulsive measurer. This came home to me on a recent bike trip from my home in Vermont to Acadia National Park in Maine. My road bike has a cycle computer which calculates distance, speed and records maximum speed. Knowing the distance we needed to travel each day and the approximate distance to the state park which was our nightly goal. Looking at the small screen I would be noting to myself or to the friend who was cycling with me, "One third of the way!"

Measuring has its benefits and its pitfalls. Besides being careful to measure everything, I am also rather goal-oriented. Here's the benefit to these two things together. At the end of each day when we were within 15 miles of our goal (and fortifying meal) I would get a second wind. Knowing both how far was remaining and that the goal was close gave me a boost. Without having something that measured our progress, I wouldn't really know how close we were and, therefore, no goal-fixated boost.

But trying to measure everything has its dangers. Some things cannot be measured, at least not easily. The Kingdom of God and its grow is notable among these. There are easy things we might measure and indicators: church attendance, turnout to certain events. But how does one measure growth in character, in obedience, in love? These might be observed but cannot be measured. Indeed measuring the growth of the Kingdom in numbers alone can be deceiving - a mile wide and an inch deep. Jesus said the Kingdom is like a mustard seed - tiny, but when it does grow, it becomes a haven for the bird of the air.

The other warning against compulsive measuring is that it tends to fix our attention on what we can do and what we can accomplish. My cycle computer tells me how fast I can go, what I can do. David fell to this temptation in taking a census (2 Samuel 24). At first glance, what is the big deal about measuring the people? Why not try to find out how many there are? But David's census was really to determine what his military might was. He was measuring to see what he could accomplish from a military perspective. David sin here was his trust in his own power and resources rather than God's.

It is a good and helpful thing to know the progress you are making. But neither progress nor our own capacities are gods. "Put not your trust in princes, nor in any son of man" (Psalm 146:3)