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SEEING WHAT’S IMPORTANT by Carl McMurray
The wind was still and the sky cloudy one November as I went one step at a time through the woods. I was pretty well convinced I was alone as I scanned another timber deadfall when to my surprise the bush I was looking at flicked her ear. Thirty feet from me a doe rested quietly, almost unseen. That’s a pretty important thing for a deer hunter to overlook. That wasn’t the only time I’ve ever been watching clouds, Forrest, or a creek, however, and almost overlooked the game I was actually in the woods for. I wonder how many of us go through life this way, i.e. looking at what is right in front of us and not seeing what is important.
Matthew 16 is almost a treatise on missing the point.
In verses 1-4 the Pharisees and Sadducees are rebuked because they could see and understand the “signs of the times”. They couldn’t see the Messiah standing in front of them. In verses 5-12 Jesus scolds his disciples because they considered bread important, and forgot the Lord had fed over nine thousand people with no more food than a man could carry. They focused on the carnal without thinking about the evil spiritual influence that Jesus was trying to warn them of. In verses 13-17 people see in Jesus all the great prophets, but miss the fact that He is the fulfillment of their prophecies. Verses 21-23 is the revelation of His coming death and Peter misses the point. Peter only sees his beloved friend dying and misses the importance of following God’s plan. Verses 24-26, lastly, is a comment upon losing to gain, saving to lose, and profiting without real profit. He’s trying to get them (and us) to see what’s really important.
Are you seeing what’s important? Many are not. Many are mentally, emotionally, and even physically “killing” themselves in their job (s). They tell themselves it’s just to pay down a bill or upgrade a luxury, but after that’s done, there’s always more. Meanwhile, just a few feet away, their children grow up. That period of time for shaping their lives can never be replaced.
A few feet away a spouse is being ignored. Feeling of quiet resentment may take root that will grow for years. Even worse, we may be starting down a path of growing apart from our loved one instead of together as the years pass.
A few feet away is a young couple that needs some encouragement and guidance. There’s a young mother who is insecure in her role and needs warm, friendly counsel because she is hundreds of miles from her own mother. There’s a young husband who needs some encouragement to love his wife because he had grown up in a culture that teaches him to work, fish, work, hunt, work, golf, and work. Some time could help them, but it’s hard for us to see that the early years in a marriage are so formative.
A few feet away a new Christian is trying hard to grow, but doesn’t know how and is afraid to ask. One is confused, another is sorrowful, while another yet is slipping back to the world. Do you see them? There are elders who are tired, teachers whose creative juices have started to dry up, and folks with physical ailments who can’t serve and “do” as they did decades ago. Do we see them?
It is important that we not be like the Pharisees. It is important that we look beyond the daily weather and daily bread to consider subjects like influence, spirituality, growth, judgment, and eternity; whether it is our children, our mate, our brethren, or our neighbor that needs us. There is something much more beautiful than a brown-eyed doe flicking her ear to catch our eye. Try to look around and see what is really important. |
