Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Climbing Close

by Pastor William Jenkins

August 13, 2005

Dressed in a white tuxedo, ruffled shirt and a black tie, Hollywood stuntman Ron Broyles arrived at the base of the Texas Commerce Building in downtown Houston at 4:45 AM. With the goal of securing his membership in the exclusive 1,000 foot climbing club he began to scale the side of the building.

Slowed by a fog bank and a muscle cramp, he reached the 50th floor around 5:00 PM. Twenty-five stories to go.

It was 10:45 PM when he finally pulled himself over the top ledge of the building. He had asked some friends to have lasagna and beer waiting for him when he finished the climb. They brought bologna and soda instead. That was a disappointment.

He expected to be arrested, and he was.

Then he received the biggest disappointment of his life. A spokesman for the firm that owned the building informed Mr. Broyles that the building was only 993 feet tall.

At one time or another all of us may experience the sinking feeling of coming close to reaching a goal, but not close enough.

In his senior year my youngest son blasted a towering fastball towards the centerfield fence in postseason play. Everyone stood to cheer the winning run as the ball headed out of the park, but the wind was contrary and it fell into a glove on the warning track. So close, but not quite.

My senior year of high school I came close to going to the State track meet, but not close enough.

A few feet, a couple of seconds, can make the difference between achieving a goal, or just coming close. I learned to live with my disappointment and turned it into a good teacher.

The important thing in life is to keep your head up and keep pressing on.

There is one area of life where just coming close is not an option. The story is told in Matthew 7 about a rich young ruler who came to Jesus wanting to find his way to heaven. Jesus told him “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

He wasn’t there yet, but he was close. The sad part of the story is that the young man gave up. So close to achieving his goal he quit; he walked away from the quest.

I do not know how, or even if, God measures closeness.

I do know that I do not want to fall just 7 feet short of heaven. This is something worth pondering.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org