The Bigger Picture

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.   —Hebrews 11:39-40       

God’s Kingdom has a lot of moving parts. That’s why it is impossible to analyze your circumstances this past week without considering the bigger picture—what God is trying to ultimately accomplish in and through your life. Sometimes we’re in such a good season that we think God is finally getting His act together and blessing us at a level that we’ve always deserved. Other times, we’ve had such a bad week, we’re wondering if God has completely given up on us. But this is the thing—you cannot define a life by looking at a snapshot—a season or an event. Life is more like a movie—a story that evolves over time. And we’re not the only characters.

Case in point—if you look only at what we have read so far on Route 66, you have to wonder if God makes a habit of honoring liars, blessing deceivers and rewarding violent behavior. But those events are simply isolated frames in the reel, parts of a much bigger and more significant development—God’s plan to salvage humanity from the mire of sin. And if you and I want to play an active role in such a fluid process, then our commitment to God cannot simply be for short seasons or in specific areas of life—our commitment must be to the big picture, to be willing to champion Kingdom work in every arena of our lives. That’s why the Ten Commandments are, number one, so comprehensive and, number two, not the Ten Suggestions or the Ten Options—this is not a buffet, where we get to pick and choose our experiences or specific arenas in which we express faithfulness. The list reflects a total commitment to the bigger picture, even though the story may not be resolved until after we’re long gone.