I have a policy of staying out of the political weeds. That is not to say I am not active, or don’t have some strong political views; but, too often our political views can be greater than our Christian views and actually hinder the spreading of God’s love. So I choose to keep my views about how our government is run to myself, unless it is a private conversation. But every now and then I have to address something that distorts our view of God and His Son.
Recently a politician compared Jesus’ flight with his parents to Egypt to those who were coming up to our southern border. And technically, if you look at the definition of refugee, a comparison can be made. But it is not a good comparison, and more importantly it misses the grander picture of what was taking place that caused Jesus’ family to temporarily relocate to Egypt.
It wasn’t the fear of the king that caused them to go south for a time, but the word of God. They weren’t fleeing for their lives or their livelihood, but for the preordained plan God had set in motion centuries ago. I am not saying it wasn’t a bad situation Herod had created--it was. But it was one God was aware of and had already put in motion a plan--a way to show the world He was God and Jesus was His Son, the Messiah. It wasn’t the king who caused the flight, but God’s plan for us to know Him and eventually be with Him in Heaven.
We sometimes look microscopically at a situation and lose sight of the bigger picture. We may get frustrated when we are in a hurry and that light turns red just before we get to it, and thus we have to wait a minute or so before we can move on. What we may not see is the accident that didn’t happen because the light didn’t stay yellow another five seconds for us to rush through it. Or maybe the person sitting at the intersection who desperately needed the light to turn green to get to a loved one who was in need. We just don’t know, but we need to look beyond what is right in front of us to God’s love and the bigger picture of what this life is all about.
Jesus wasn’t a refugee, but part of God’s plan. You also are part of that same plan. That plan is for everyone to know about God’s love for them and the reason the child was born into this world. I encourage you to start the new year by looking beyond the immediate to who God is and what life is all about. Then look back to what is in front of you and how you can be used in that situation as part of God’s plan.
A good way to stay focused on this is to be in daily connection with God. As you start the new year, set aside time each day, even if it is as little as 30 seconds, to talk with God. We call it prayer. And set aside time each day to read a passage, a verse or two or a chapter of God’s word. If you don’t know where to start, let me know. Holly and I have a number of different plans to read God’s word--as short at 30 seconds to as long as you like. Make it your resolution to stay focused on what God is really all about, not what the commercials, the store fronts, or the politicians say about it.
Resolving to stay focused,
Randy Schilling