But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33
My school bus company, like many others in America, subscribes to the services of a firm dedicated to improving safety in the trucking and busing industries. Based on years of study, they have developed a set of simple principles to guide us as we drive. Some of these principles have remarkable parallels in the Christian walk.
One often-repeated phrase in the driving-safety world is “get the big picture.” This means that we should not be so totally focused on a single, nearby issue—such as the car immediately in front of us—that we are unaware of other vital factors. For example, if we were to look further ahead, we might note that traffic is stopped for a stalled car or for road construction. In that case, we would need to be preparing to stop. Looking ahead is so important that they teach us to “aim high in steering.” We are to look as far ahead of us as we will travel in the next twelve to fifteen seconds. It is a fact of human perception that if we look into the distance, we will also be aware of objects closer to us. Contrariwise, if we focus on the nearby, we will not see the things farther ahead. Getting the big picture means using all of our mirrors and keeping our eyes constantly moving. We should avoid the “fixed glaze,” where although our eyes are wide open, we really aren’t seeing what is going on. We need to be ever alert.
As Christians, if we are not careful, we can be focused on a “nearby issue”—the present—and living just for the moment rather than with eternal values in view. We can be so caught up with accumulating possessions and being a success in this life that we neglect the things of greatest value. A Christian counselor once related that he had been with many people who were on their deathbeds, and he had never once heard any of them moaning that they wished they had spent more time on their businesses. However, many times he had heard those who wished they had spent more time with their families or in working for the Lord.
May we ask the Lord to guide us in our priorities, so that we are ever aware of the big picture.