Luke 19:40

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7 ESV)

We all know what it means to place someone on a pedestal. We see it quite often in churches. Inevitably those who are lifted high fall. Many times this causes a rift that keeps people from growing in Christ. Sometimes they abandon their faith altogether. But, there is another dangerous pedestal. The non-particular pedestal.

Rather than people, I have a tendency to place ideals and standards on pedestals and then try to live up to them. Far too often they are out of reach. Even with these non-particular pedestals, there is the inherent danger of a fall.

It's like marriage. You go into a marriage with various emotions and expectations. Eventually the emotion fades and you are left to evaluate the reality of your expectations. Often, the result is the same as if someone has disappointed you and fallen from their pedestal. You are faced with a choice. Do I change my expectations or do I give up?

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”