Uncommen: The Space Between UsSample

Family Space

I was attempting to play golf with a friend who is much better at the sport than I am. I was lining up to go around the massive tree, and he said, "What are you doing? Shoot through the tree!"

I responded saying, "What are you talking about? I can't go through the tree." He said, "The tree may look solid with all the leaves, but if they were not there, you'd see how much room you have for the ball to go through."
 

I gave him my best, "I don't know about that" look and proceeded to line up to go around the tree. I hit the ball, and it landed about where I wanted it to go, knowing that I would have to attempt again to get around the tree entirely. 

My friend smiled as he lined up to take his shot and teed off right through the tree. I was waiting for the ball to come bouncing back out but only saw a puff of leaves as the ball continued through the tree and cut at least one stroke off this hole. 
 

He turned and said, you'd be surprised how much space is between branches. What stood out to me in that story was what we see as a solid foundation in many cases has more space than we can imagine. 
 

Consider a family having lunch or walking into church on Sunday. There may even be smiles that say, "everything is stable with this family." They wouldn't dare tell anyone, but there's more space between them than what's seen on the surface.
 

If you ever want to gauge your love for someone or their love for you, hold them or yourself up to Jesus. In John 15:12, Jesus says, "This is my commandment (not a suggestion), that you love one another as I have loved you." Do not leave space between you and a loved one. With space, comes a foothold that Satan can exploit to create even more distance.

Uncommen Questions:
 

How much space would you say are between you and your family when it comes to your relationship? 
 

When was the last time you made an effort to get closer to each other?

Uncommen Challenge:
 

I challenge you to be objective with the space between you and your family. Make the inside reality match the outside facade that people see. While you may fool man, God sees the heart.

Scripture Verse:
John 15: 1-17