Zoom in, Zoom out

By Joanna La Fleur
After Hours Millennial Host 

WOW what a year it has been, yet again! We have all come through so much more than expected in our personal lives, our work, our church communities, and even as the team at See Hear Love with things like Melinda’s major health scare and series of surgeries to save her life from a serious infection. 

So what do we do when it feels like things aren’t going as planned? Or when we feel disappointed about how people have acted towards us? Or when we genuinely aren’t sure what to look forward to in the future? Zoom in and Zoom out. 

First- zoom in, by which I mean- focus on Jesus. As the old hymn says: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,  Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of his glory and grace”.

Look in and focus on who God is, how good he has been to you over your lifetime, or his promises of presence with you in even the most difficult circumstances. 

Jesus is the prize, and just like Peter walking out on water with Jesus, when we look at the waves instead of fixing our eyes and zooming in on Jesus, its easy to start feeling like we are drowning and lose faith! Don’t be dictated by the situation, focus in on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. He loves you.

Second- zoom out, but which I mean- focus on the bigger picture of God’s work in the world. Afterall, there’s also that childhood song: “He’s got the whole world in his hands”. 

If you’re feeling down and discouraged about the church you come from, or the direction of people in your immediate circles, or what God is doing in this post-pandemic world, sometimes we need to zoom out to see where Jesus is active and at work in the church all around the world. 

While the church in North America is maybe on the decline, the church is growing and thriving in so many other places and we can be encouraged. Zoom out and see what God is up to in places like China, the Middle East, India, Africa… Jesus is meeting people in their dreams, people in closed countries are finding God through scripture sections encrypted and sent via PDF, children in Africa are living longer into adulthood through the work of Christians serving in healthcare, and small groups are forming on WhatsApp to introduce people to Christians who can fight their loneliness in countries of a billion + people. 

After the whirlwind year we’ve had again- draw near to Jesus and remember his work in the world. Zoom in, zoom out, and focus on the goodness of God, no matter your current circumstances.