{source}<iframe style=”float: left; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #C0C0C0; padding: 2px; margin: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; -khtml-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px;” width=”400″ height=”225″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/ai2jv9bU-VY?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}Good Morning America played a video to celebrate the New Year that caused me to think. The Internet has made our world much smaller in some ways but this video reminded me that this world we live in is complex, diverse, and yet, most human beings want the same things from our earthly lives.
The video shows moms from across the world who gave birth to a New Year’s baby. When they were asked what they wished most for their child each gave a similar answer: health, happiness and most of all, that their children would know how much they were loved. I remember holding my sons when they were newly born. That is what I prayed for them and it is my prayer for them today. It was compelling to hear “my” thoughts and prayers voiced in so many different languages.
Too often I think of God in terms of my own life, my own culture and my own country. I think of God as speaking English and being concerned with the same things that concern me. I have unconsciously adapted God to my worldview, rather than adapting mine to his. I read James 4:14 recently and was reminded of the importance of maintaining God’s worldview. That verse says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” January is a good time to step back and focus our lives with a godly perspective. Each of us is vastly important to God and none of us are more important than the next person we see.
I wrote a blog post in December titled, “The Best Christmas Video Ever” and it was read, forwarded, tweeted and retweeted by many. That video carried a similar message to today’s. One God created all of humanity and therefore we have been made to want the same things. The Christmas video and today’s both illustrate that truth. Cultures, languages and time create a Tower of Babel, self-centered worldview, but Scripture reveals God’s.
If we were to picture God holding each of those newborn babies I think we would hear him speak a similar message to their moms’. I think God would say to each baby, ‘My will for your life is spiritual health, joy and an abiding knowledge of my great love for you.’ Each mom, holding her newborn baby spoke God’s message of love to her child. The message of love is powerful and universal, because it is God’s message, not ours.
Paul wrote to the Colossians saying:
God has a universal dream for every person he creates, and the video reminded me that each of us have been created to understand and share his dream. God wants us to love him and love others. Every day can be measured by that one perfect standard. Half of January has evaporated – like that mist James spoke about. Will loving God and loving others be our highest goal? If you haven’t had the chance to print out the reminder cards from my recent blog post, you can do that here. As Jesus said, all the Law and Prophets hang on those two commandments. (Matthew 22:40)
Each of us is vastly important to God. None of us are more important that the next person we see. Will we share God’s universal dream with the people we stand beside today, and maintain that goal every day? Loving God and loving others would be a blessed habit.
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