When I was growing up I remember going to the movie theatre and seeing “Rocky”. I can remember thinking it was the greatest movie I ever saw. Then when I was in college I saw it again on a black and white portable TV. Of the two, which one do you think I got the most out of? Which one was I more involved? The answer is obvious. It’s the same way in life. If you really want to get involved in the life that God has given you, you have to learn to see the big picture.
We tend to think in terms of NOW. We see the mundane details of our life as urgent…as “do or die”. This kind of thinking is counter-productive, and creates unnecessary stress. Most of our problems are not a matter of life and death, and there’s no point in blowing them out of proportion. Dean Smith, the former basketball coach at University of North Carolina once said, “If you make every game a matter of life and death, you’ll be dead a lot.”
In order to keep things in perspective, we should condition ourselves to ask the following question: Will this make a difference in 2500 years? For most of the things we allow ourselves to get stressed about, the answer would be “no”. In 2500 years will it matter if the waiter messes up our order? In 2500 years will it matter if I don’t make this sale? Will it matter what kind of car I drive? Will it matter if someone is rude to me? Will it matter if the Seminoles beat the Gators? Will these things matter in 2500 years?
On the other hand, if you share Christ’s love with someone, will that matter in 2500 years? If you take time to disciple a new believer, encourage someone, or give financially to a worthwhile cause. Will that make a difference in 2500 years? The answer is obvious. While there are many things we do that have no eternal significance, there are other areas of our lives where we have the opportunity to make a contribution that will last forever.
As we go about our daily business, we need to get in the habit of thinking in terms of eternity. In 2 Peter 3:8, Peter said, “Do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” These words remind us that there is a big picture to all of this.
The few years we are here on earth, the small circle in which we live, these are only a tiny part of all that is and we must remind ourselves that we are not the center of the universe; the world, the team, or the job does not revolve around you or me. We must also remind ourselves that there is more to life than just money, possessions, and materialistic pursuits. There is an eternal aspect of life that cannot be ignored.