As leaders, we all face them. Those big, seemingly insurmountable obstacles we struggle to find a way around or over. No way forward. No way around. And no end in sight. We begin to question our ability to lead or to strategize. We wonder if we have the skills needed not only to face the giant obstacle but also to get beyond it. And the longer we look at that “giant,” the bigger it gets.

It may be a financial issue, a personnel challenge, or our inability to see the next step for our ministry. But the problem is big, and it seems undefeatable.

I wonder if Jesus’ disciples ever felt that way. Those twelve men heard the Lord commission them to go “into all the world” to share His Good News. Travel back then was far different from today. Yet even today, such a direction would cause most of us to see the problem as something monumental. The whole world? Us?

That’s why it must have been so comforting for those men to hear the Master say, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 NLT).”

As a Lead Like Jesus devotional pointed out, “He gave them supernatural power to accomplish their God-given task.”

Part of the challenge with giant obstacles is their proximity to us. The closer they are, the bigger they seem. I used to ask my grandchildren, “Which is larger, this 5-cent coin or that big clock on the wall?” They would quickly say, “Daddo, the clock is much bigger.”

Then, I would take the coin and hold it close to their eye. So close that they could not see the clock. “Now, which one looks bigger?”

If we are not careful, we will allow the closeness of our giant problem to overshadow the greatness of our God. We will keep our eyes fixed on the problem and not the Master problem solver.

My Old Testament reading takes me through the days when God’s people were presented with opportunities. Yet all they could see were the problems. The classic case is when Moses appointed twelve men to scope out the land promised to them by God. They all agreed it was a wonderful land, but ten of the men were more fixed on the obstacles they saw…literal giants. Only two saw the potential of the land.

God’s people had seen miracle after miracle. They should have understood what the Lord said repeatedly: “Is there anything too hard for me?”

So, where are you fixing your gaze today? Do you focus on the giant problem before you, or do you trust the Lord? The writer of Hebrews talked of running a race, saying we need to get rid of every obstacle and every distraction that keeps us from doing our best. And then he said, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith… (Hebrews 12:2 NASB).

As we draw closer to our Lord, as we seek His direction and His protection, we find that the giant obstacle before us is not so big after all. It is a matter of where we fix our gaze.

God’s best,