In the Movie of Life, You are NOT the Star!

Today's posting will pick up where Saturday's left off. The last quote from Chan had him asking why we're so quick to forget God. Followed up by the bold question of "Who do we think we are?" He goes on to say:

"I find myself relearning this lesson often. Even though I glimpse God's holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all. It goes sort of like this...Suppose you are an extra in an upcoming movie. You will probably scrutinize that one scene when hundreds of people are milling around, just waiting for that two-fifths of a second when you can see the back of your head. Maybe your mom and your best friend get excited about that two-fifths of a second with you...maybe. But no one else will realize that it's you. Even if you tell them, they won't care." p. 42

I get what Chan is saying here, and I don't really disagree with him. I just think there's a conflicting concept that needs to be reconciled and he doesn't really approach the subject...So, I guess that I will.

I get that "THE MOVIE" Chan's referring to is all about God...from the creation of time to where we are at this precise moment. And, yes, in that context, our two-fifths of a second is nothing, definitely not worthy of a starring role credit. But, how do we reconcile this "insignificance" with what scripture says...that God knew us before we were born, that each of us was created for a specific purpose? If that is true, then we are not insignificant...granted, this doesn't merit starring role credentials, but hang with me.

Chan specifically states, "I'm still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all." My hang-up here is with the word all. That word, all, could apply to every human being throughout the existence of time. If none of us were of any significance, what kind of movie would that be? When would we see God glorified? How would we see examples of redemption? How and why would miracles exist? I will concede that our "role" in the movie will only last two-fifths of a second, if that. BUT, if we do our jobs right, if we glorify God in all we do, even if it's for that fractional moment in time, then our significance is justified. Without a doubt, God is the star, but we have an important part to play as well.

Here are some closing words from Chan on the subject:

"We have only our two-fifths-of-a-second-long scene to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to be about my making much of God. First Corinthians 10:31 says, 'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' That is what each of our two-fifths of a second is about. So what does that mean to you? Frankly, you need to get over yourself. It might sound harsh, but that's seriously what it means." p. 44

THE PUSH

What will your two-fifths of a second look like? Today, I'd like you to watch this video. You'll hear of several examples of what this looks like to other people. However, what I really want you to focus on is the last 2 minutes of the video. How does it make you feel? More importantly, does it make you want to change anything you're currently going?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgwqeEVFr3s&feature=related