When I was a kid, I loved the TV ad for Tootsie Rolls. Decades later, the clever jingle still bounces in my head: "Whatever it is I think I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me." The ad showed a child who imagined Tootsie Rolls wherever he went. To use the medical term, that kid suffered from Tootsie-Roll-itis. 

Not many adults are prone to experience Tootsie-Roll-itis. But we sometimes suffer from a similar malady: tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is more or less the same thing: whenever we watch the news or talk with our friends we immediately see one issue pop up in our faces. But that one thing can be different for different people. If one person is passionate for evangelism, he or she might see the need for evangelism everywhere. If someone else is active in the pro-life movement, he or she might see pro-life issues everywhere. We tend to focus on the stuff that stokes our fire. 

It's great to be passionate for a cause (assuming it's a godly one), but tunnel vision makes us lose perspective of how our one thing fits into God's bigger picture. We all have issues that concern us. But we shouldn't let a limited focus blind us from all that concerns God.

How do we fix our perspective? The cure for tunnel vision is humility.

Joshua in the Old Testament learned this lesson. In the opening chapter of the book of Joshua, Moses had just died. God gave Joshua the task of entering the Promised Land and conquering the people who lived there: "Be strong and courageous, because you (Joshua) will lead these people to inherit the land I (God) swore to their forefathers to give them" (Joshua 1:6). Joshua was a man on a mission, and that mission was from God.

Joshua's first military task was to take the city of Jericho. Spies were sent out. A multitude crossed the Jordan. Armies geared up. As the walled city loomed before him, and as the Israelite army followed behind him, Joshua was probably thinking of the coming battle. And just then, he saw a strange sight. He saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword.

Joshua realized that this stranger meant business, but he didn't know quite what to make of him. So he asked the man with the sword, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" (Joshua 5:13). No doubt the stranger was there for battle. The only thing Joshua wanted to know was whose side he was on. If you're for us, then fall in line with the rest of the troops. If you're for our enemies . . . get ready to say goodbye.

Joshua's question was a simple one. That's why his jaw dropped to the ground when the stranger answered, "Neither" (Joshua 5:14). Neither? Are you kidding me? Come on dude, pick a side. There are big things at stake here. 

Indeed the stakes were big. But they were far beyond anything Joshua was imagining. The stranger continued and said, "As commander of the army of the LORD I have now come" (Joshua 5:14). Woah. Joshua's eyes were opened. He had thought the stranger had come to help further the Israelites' agenda or that of the people of Jericho. In truth, the commander of God's army had shown up to carry out God's agenda. At that moment Joshua must have realized that although his own assignment and agenda came from God, they didn't encompass all of God's plan.

In the gravity of the situation, Joshua prostrated himself and asked, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" (Joshua 5:14). What message would he bring? Would he tell Joshua the battle plans? Would he hand over a blueprint of Jericho and tell him which gate to enter by? 

The seemingly odd reply to Joshua's question was simply, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy" (Joshua 5:15).

Now if I were Joshua, I would have thought this whole scene was a little strange. I'm on a mission for God to lead His people into battle and then the general of God's army shows up to tell me to take off my shoes. Wouldn't my time be better spent drilling the troops or assessing military intelligence? Why was it so important for God to make Joshua pause right before he dove into fulfilling his mission? 

It was important for Joshua to stop and take stock because God wanted him to see that there were bigger things going on than just the one battle in front of him. Joshua was carrying out God's will, but his assignment -- his focus -- didn't encompass all of God's will. Rather, his agenda fit somewhere within God's larger agenda. His appropriate response was to humble himself -- to take off his shoes -- and realize that God was present and carrying out His greater and complete will. 

It wasn't that God didn't approve of Joshua. It's not that God doesn't approve of the things we passionately pursue in His name. Do God's will with passion, but move forward with humilty. A solid dose of humility will keep our vision clear so we don't miss out on the big picture of God's perfect and profound plan.