Zoom Out

Zoom out, I would say. Your focus is too narrow. You are zoomed in on this tiny issue, and it seems so big right now. Zoom out, I tell myself. Get a better perspective. See the whole picture, and this will be revealed as the small issue it is. It will seem insignificant once you broaden your view. Zoom out.

So, I zoomed out. Taking everything in does make that experience seem small. Insignificant. It makes me feel small and insignificant. It makes me think, “No, this doesn’t really matter that much. It’s not worthy of stress, or anxiety, or anger. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a random dot that won’t matter a second from now. I really don’t matter that much, in fact.”

While this thinking may provide some kind of relief, it didn’t turn out to be that healthy after all. I zoomed out, and all I saw was insignificance. Nothing matters? Is that better than each little thing I’m zoomed in on mattering too much? I’m just a speck in the midst of it all, so why worry?

I zoomed out, and became overwhelmed with the big picture. It’s too much to take in. You mean there’s ten more things to be concerned about over here at the edge of the image I wasn’t even seeing before? You mean what I’m doing in that little pixel I was zoomed in on could affect the other end of some panoramic I still can’t see? Zoom out. Great. Now my perspective is so big I’m consumed with the immensity of it all. Zoom out. See how small you are, surrounded by so many big things that can crush you.

There has to be another solution, other than throwing the camera out the window. Dear God, what is it? Do I need a new lens? A filter? A new memory card?

Turns out, I had it backwards. Zoom out? No.

Zoom in. Zoom all the way in. Zoom in on the only thing that should ever fill our frame. Zoom in. Zoom in on His grace. Zoom in on His mercy. Zoom in on His love. Let nothing else crowd out the image of our Lord. Zoom in on Jesus Christ.

Zoom in, and He is what we see. Zoom in, and everything else happens with Him at the center of the picture. Zoom in, and there’s no room for distractions on the perimeter. Zoom in, and we experience everything else with Him in our vision. Zoom in, and we are forced to look to Him and through Him to see anything else.

This is the focus I need. Not that I’m insignificant. That’s simply not true. Zoom in. See that I matter to Him. Zoom in. See the immensity of His love for me. Zoom in. See the parts He wants me to see. It’s His big picture to paint, to change, to reveal, as He sees fit. Zoom in. The grand plan isn’t mine to know.

Zoom in. He cares about this very moment with me. Zoom in. Those little experiences may matter after all, but not in the ways I saw before. Zoom in, and see Him at work in those times.

Zoom in, and stay there. No more adjusting in hopes of gaining the perfect perspective.  No more worries about the perfect lens. No more wondering if I’m seeing what I should see.

Zoom in, lost child, and see your good, good Father. Zoom in, lost and despairing, and see your Hope. Zoom in, lost perspective, and see your Focus. Zoom in, lost sinner, and see your Savior.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  Hebrews 12:2