Last year we took a family photograph in the backyard.
We all sat on a step leading up to the back door, outfitted
in nice jackets and dresses, my wife and two kids. In the background you could
see the rear of the house.
When we got the picture back from the photographer we asked
our four year old what he thought. He immediately exclaimed, ‘ATV!’ We were
puzzled. Then we looked closely at the photograph. And sure enough, in the
background, in the rear of the house was a small living room window, and in
that window, a small toy ATV. What would very likely go undetected by everyone
who would ever see this photo was the first thing my son noticed. What was a
family photo to the rest of the world was, to him, a prize image of one of his
favorite toys.
It would be unfair to say that my son is not fully
appreciating his family by his preoccupation with a toy car (he is only four),
but it is fair to say that, like him, we can get so focused on small details
that we miss the big picture. The consequences range from sad to tragic.
This Sunday we will hear Jesus talk with a group of
religious people who were so obsessed with a detail of their religion that they
did not see the big picture. Their fixation on the details kept them from
realizing they were talking with God in the flesh. Their passion for the
trivial kept them from being the best they could be individually and as a force
for God in the world. This is the tragedy.
How are we obsessing over minutia – and how does it steer us
off track? Does the 5 pounds we gained at a holiday bring a pall over the fact
that we have a healthy, prosperous, and happy family? Does the nick on our car paint overshadow the fact that
we’re incredibly blessed because 93% of the world doesn’t even own a car? Does our body’s inability to do what it
once did, keep us from focusing on the incredible things we were able to do during the span of our
lives?
The solution is to step back. Take a deep breath. Plan a
quiet time. Realize that there is a big picture. And your part in it is
insanely important.
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Reading
Unapologetic – Francis Spufford
The Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman
Party of One – Beth Knobbe
