Walking into the American University of Cairo, I was welcomed by a mural of images from the 2011 revolution which radically altered the political atmosphere of the Arab world and beyond. The world's vocabulary expanded. Islamic Brotherhood. Mubarak. Tahrir Square. The Arab Spring. One particular mural grabbed my attention.
On a close glance, the wall was covered with individual pictures of violence, blood, demonstrations, solidarity, and more. A vivid portrayal of what we remember and experienced during those days. Stepping back, however, the mural revealed a bigger image. The hundreds of tiny photographs came together to form a more complete image of a young boy, smiling, waving an Egyptian flag symbolizing freedom, hope, and joy. The thought of their painful days yielding the fruit of freedom brought a renewed spirit and great expectations.
How easily our minds can get bogged down with the present situations of life in such a way where we fail to look up and see the whole picture of what God is doing. We see a part, but it requires us to take a step back in order to see the big picture. We forget that God is working out a beautiful plan to draw out a people for His name from around the world. (Acts 15:14) How quickly we jump to conclusions of God's inactivity or lack of compassion when perhaps, the greatest blessing to our busy, self-absorbed lives is the reality check which reminds us of our temporal state on earth. We love asking the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" without considering who is defining good and bad. We assume our own goodness and we assume "bad" to be anything which harms our physical state and personal dreams. The Word of God tells us that "we look not to the things which are seen, but to the things which are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18) What if the better question is, "Why do good things happen to wicked people?" What if the point of life is far more than what merely HAPPENS to us? (Clue: Jesus gives the answer in Luke 13:1-5) What if there is a purpose to our existence beyond the physical?What if the most gracious thing God does is awaken our soul to man's most desperate need? Him. C.S. Lewis appropriately noted in his book Surprised by Joy, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Take a step back. There is more to the picture.
