Living The Big Picture

Romans 8:18-21

The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21, ESV)

ONE OF THE CORE TENETS OF existential philosophy is that we live in an irrational universe and are therefore responsible for creating our own sense of meaning—or rejecting meaning altogether. For many centuries, great thinkers have felt the frustration of being bound in darkened understanding. Every human being has tasted and seen the futility of the human experience—no government has fully succeeded; no family has completely avoided dysfunction; no individual has figured out how to avoid sickness, pain, and death. The entire human experience should either send us in search of a Savior or cause us to throw up our hands in surrender.

The existentialists and many others have thrown up their hands in surrender, but we who believe in the message of Jesus and the Good News of his Kingdom have tasted freedom. None of us has fully escaped the futility, of course—we still live in a fallen world and experience its frustrations—but we have seen the light of truth and are drawn further into it. We let the fruitlessness of our existence drive us into the arms of a Deliverer. We have found a better way.

As messengers of the better way, our job now is to live lives of meaning in the presence of those who are searching for it. There is nothing arrogant about that; as D. T. Niles said, Christianity is one hungry beggar telling another where he found bread. We have all been captives to the futility of earth, but now we see beyond it. Our lives are visibly, noticeably redirected toward eternity. Whatever that looks like in your experience, make the most of it. Don’t get frustrated. See the bigger picture and live in it for others to see as well.

{Lord of heaven and earth, anchor me well in your Kingdom and make the peace of eternity visible in my eyes. May my words reflect eternal hope and my smile welcome others into it. May the assurance of my hope be contagious. Amen.