Matthew 22:37-39, John 16

Liz Dumain

Two weeks ago I was on holiday in Iceland. It is one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in my life: the skies are HUGE, and the lava fields look like the surface of the moon. On one of the days we went to see an incredible waterfall. It's a waterfall you can walk behind: when you do, the force of the water is so strong that it feels like it is sucking all the air out of you. I have great memories of the week that will stay with me forever. I wonder what you were focusing on two weeks ago? There may have been brilliant things, exhilarating thing or maybe things that threatened to suck the breath out of you.

In all kinds of situations, whether exciting or challenging, Jesus calls us to live our lives focusing on him. He calls us to serve him, love him and live a life worthy of that calling. He calls us to get our focus right. And what is this main thing, this main focus? Jesus explains it clearly when he is asked which the greatest commandment was. Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39 NLT)

Love God, love others. Serve God, serve others. Give God your all, share your all with others.

And how do we do that? We look beyond what is happening today or next week. We look beyond the struggles of today or tomorrow, even beyond the exciting things. We look beyond our lives into the life that Jesus promises. In all circumstances we look beyond.

In John 16 there is a warning that life won't always be easy. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Take heart, trust God and look beyond.

Behind that waterfall in Iceland, I was getting battered by water and I really wanted to take a photograph to record my trip, but I couldn't work out how to do it without ruining my camera. I decided to bury my camera down inside my waterproof, run into the waterfall, whip the camera out and take a photo.

I was so excited to see the majesty of the waterfall in a picture, but when I looked on the screen I saw the strangest thing. My camera had focused on the droplets of water on the lens, not on the waterfall. It had produced a photo, but the waterfall was nowhere to be seen. It had not focused on the main thing. It couldn't look beyond the water droplets.

Focus is a challenge to us every day. God calls us into the incredible privilege of serving him, but sometimes we get battered, or complacent and as a result we get de-focused. We get de-focused by so many things: pushy people, nasty surprises, the demands of life, the desire to avoid conflict, financial pressures, all kinds of things. We live in the tension of managing the day to day, whilst longing for what is to come. Having to think about now, whilst committing to look beyond.

Icelanders know what it is to live in tension. There's a volcano there that erupts about every 80 years - it's known as the 'mouth of hell' because it's so huge. When it erupts a huge part of Iceland will be destroyed. The volcano erupts about every 80 years, and is about 10 years overdue! That's living in tension! But those brave Icelanders are able to look beyond. They live every day to the full, committed to their country, but aware it could change in an instant.

God calls us to live in the tension of looking beyond today; to be different from my poor camera; to get our focus on the big picture - loving God, loving others; serving God, serving others; giving God our all, sharing our all with others. Living beyond.