From 1950 until 1975 a television show titled The Big Picture was aired by ABC. It was a documentary program produced by the United States Army Signal Corps showing weapons, battles, and biographies of famous soldiers. It was a sort of recruiting device for the army that really showed only the tiny picture that suited the army’s purpose of promoting patriotism and increasing enlistments.
This week I was reminded of that old television series when someone used the phrase “the big picture” as she wondered aloud whether God really has a specific plan for each of us—a big picture that includes every person who has ever lived. While the existence of God’s big picture may not seem to be of major importance, it actually touches the very heart of our Christian beliefs. If God has no big picture that involves each of us doing specific work, all we need to do is accept Jesus Christ as our savior and live a Christian life. Our responsibility ends there. If, however, each of us is a part of His plan, every day of our lives is of the utmost importance.
God’s picture begins and ends with Jesus Christ dying on the cross. That picture stretches out across the universe and covers everything from the highest heaven to the darkest recesses of the earth. Christ dying on the cross has been painted across everything that man will ever know or discover and everything that will forever remain hidden. It is painted across you and me, and we cannot escape from it. It is a picture of love so enormous and all-encompassing that we can never fully appreciate the scope of the sacrifice that painted it.
It has been said that if you were the only person who had ever lived, Christ would still have died on that cross—just for you. If, then, we are not just part of God’s big picture but each of us, individually, is the reason for it, we can never say that what we do does not matter. We can never be content to accept less for our lives than that which God has called us to be.
At this moment our country is going through very difficult times. Many of us, individually, are also going through very difficult times. Sometimes we want to throw up our hands and say, “I’m finished. I can’t do this any more.” Sometimes we feel that God has forgotten us or just doesn’t care about our little problems. When you are tempted to give up, remember this:
The last thing that Christ said on the cross was, “It is finished!” During his thirty-three years on this earth, He was persecuted, despised, and vilified, but He never said, “I’m finished” until He had completed God’s plan for His life and brought salvation to everyone who will accept it. If He had stopped short of that, we would be without hope.
The next time you are tempted to quit, remember God’s big picture that covers the universe and includes you. God’s plan will surely come to pass, but He has a special place for you in that plan, and the only one who can keep you from fulfilling your part is you. Take courage, trust Him, and let God be the one who decides when you are finished.
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