The Big Picture

As of this writing, almost everyone is talking about the Golden State Warriors’ chance to tie, or even surpass, the 72-10 record of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Their recent win against the OKC Thunder has intensified the fans’ excitement, considering that the Warriors have tied the record (also held by the 1995-96 Bulls) of 44 consecutive wins at home court.

But a recent article by Mark J. Spears places the whole issue in proper perspective: “Why Steve Kerr might be the biggest roadblock to the Warriors reaching 72 wins.” The matter is quite simple. The whole point of playing in the NBA is to win the championship. It would be nice to secure some awesome records along the way. But if pursuing those records would lead to conditions that diminish a team’s chances of taking the trophy, they must sacrifice the records for the championship. Coach Kerr makes it clear that he wants his team entering the playoffs properly rested for the grueling games against the NBA’s best. “Resting, that will take precedence … We will rest guys if they need it before we will go for any kind of streak or record, that’s for sure.” Steph Curry concurs: “Obviously, the big picture is always the most important trying to win a championship.”

The big picture. It remains an ongoing challenge for any endeavor, including living the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We can easily approach this “game” called life without the purposefulness that the gospel is supposed to give us. Sometimes the concerns of this world—both the thrill of exciting moments and events, or the weight of difficult challenges—may distract us from seeing the big picture and keep us from accomplishing our real purpose. We pour all our energy and resources on pursuing the good things that this world can offer. We go out of our way to acquire the most advanced gadget, or follow the latest trend. When things go south we fret about the problems. We do everything we can to fix them. Life is nothing more than seeking to secure a comfortable (even luxurious) existence in this world. So what we do, what we accomplish, even our successes, may have little or no eternal value. Our vision for life is too small. The result is that we deplete our resources and diminish the energy we need to do that which truly matters. We lose sight of the big picture.

Disciples of Jesus are people who focus their life and energy on the things of Christ. We exist not just to have awesome activities or impressive collections. We are committed to accomplish the Lord’s Great Commandment—loving God with our whole being, and loving others as we love ourselves. We fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission—making disciples of all peoples. That’s the big picture.

—Keith Y. Jainga