90mins movie of your life

After watching the movie Real Steel with my family few
weeks ago, I wondered at what a 90minutes movie of my life’s journey so far, would
look like. Which events of my existence must make the cut within the 90mins
film?

The more I thought of this, the more it dawned on me
that the key elements of my life’s trip had been in the ever so uncomfortable and
solitary arenas where God and I made a clear and unforgettable connection.

For me, it’s been a great blend lonely moments of pain
and pleasure, uncertainty, fear and even shame. I love thrillers and action movies but I don’t think mine would make a
blockbuster. My assessment here may be wrong but I’m comfortable with my progress.

The world’s idea of a hero is badly skewed, relative
to the Kingdom of Christ. “So Jesus spoke to them:
“You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but
God knows what’s behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental,
God sees through and calls monstrous.” (Luke 16:15)

The
legacy of our lives will be found in the mundane more than the seemingly
miraculous or grandiose. God doesn’t miss anything and acts of obedience done in
secret, which are the highest level of worship, grab His attention.

As
I look at the lives of men and women whom God took time to tell their story in
the scriptures, I’m awed by this reality. Those through whom God displayed His
glory and told His story had significant private sessions with Him. Their
resolve to obey Him set them against the established systems of their day. They
were the bad guys.

In
fact, it would seem that He carefully led them towards Himself in some rather
strange ways, but always left another option beside Himself. They could walk
away and be the world’s good guys.

Take
a random pick of the greats in the scriptures and you’d trace the unique moment
of God’s presence to their private and unpopular hours.

What
events would make the cut in the 90mins movie of your life, directed and
produced by you?

What
are the most precious memories of your encounter with the Almighty God, which
you’d want the world to learn from?

Could
it be your birth or childhood? The birth of Jesus though in a smelly manger made
the headlines all the way to the Far East and many babies lost their lives because
of Him. These made the cut for Him.

Could
it be your education or career or ministry? Jesus didn’t go to school but His
wisdom was unparalleled in all history; such that at age 12, He dazed the
lawyers of His day. He started the most successful ministry ever, with ignorant
fishermen from one tribe and surrendered it
to them in the end, even when it seemed they didn’t understand its purpose.
He said it pleased His Father like that. (Matthew 11:25)

Could
it be your wealth or spouse or children? A man like Jacob lost all three,
wealth, spouse and children (Reuben and briefly Joseph) in his life time and
yet, the most significant event about him was that all night lonely encounter
with the angel that changed his destiny forever.

40
years a fugitive, Moses heard God at the burning bush and gave another 40years
to all he heard and when he died, God Himself 
buried him (Deut 34:5-6). David, fleeing from King Saul wrote many
Psalms hiding in several caves; Paul’s time in prison was Abba’s design to
produce timeless Epistles. Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Hannah, Ruth… The list
is long.

The
hidden truths and glories of the Living God are found in secret and lowly
places not in the limelight. When you feel rejected, defamed and misunderstood for
Christ’s sake, you are rightly located for a great story, one more suited for
heaven’s audience.

 What could we learn from the 90mins movie of
your life, if ever there was one?