
Recently, while on holidays in Queensland, my family got together and shouted me a scenic helicopter flight along the Gold Coast.
For an old flyer like me, this was possibly the closest thing to paradise they could possibly have given me.
The views were spectacular, completely different to how things look from the ground.
The real structure of the Gold Coast area became much more apparent, with almost all the construction being along a narrow strip along the coast.
Not far inland, the scenery very quickly changed to being much more rural and mountainous.
The ability to rise above everything and to be able to capture the scenery from a different perspective can offer a completely new way of looking at your surroundings
Being able to take in the bigger picture, rather than just the limited view that we are normally able to see.
Being able to take in the bigger picture is important in other ways too.
There are many times where we may look at our situations, and yet fail to appreciate the significance of what is happening, because of the narrowness of our outlook and our inability to recognise how we too can be part of a much bigger process.
One example of this is the way in which so many people live only for short term gratification, rather than being prepared to commit to working towards long term achievements or worthwhile projects that bring betterment to our communities.
This tends to happen when people become affixed on accumulating the pleasures of the world.
In the book of Luke we read, where Jesus said, “For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
We see a trend these days where so many people are trying to gain wealth and the pleasures of this world - now!
They do not seem to recognise that true satisfaction and fulfilment comes, not from the gain themselves, but from the personal effort and achievement that is put into obtaining them.
This can come only with long term dedication.
We need to develop the quality of “foresight” - the ability to see into the future in such a way that it guides our actions and gives us wisdom for today.
When we can do that, we will be able to see how we really do fit into the “big picture”, and will be able to plan our actions accordingly for the benefit of all.
In his letter to the church at Rome, the apostle Paul said, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Paul clearly understood the principle that those who are in Christ are all part of a very big picture, and that we each have our own place and part to play with in that picture.
He described the church as being like parts of a body, with every part having an essential role.
In his letter to the Corinthian church, he said, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”
Each one of us has a part to play as a part of the bigger picture of God's plan, as we continue to strive together as one church.