Last week I was shooting video footage with a drone high over the towering trees near majestic Yosemite National Park when I realized how far the remote control had come since its debut as a “tv-set” channel changer. It was incredible.
When the drone delivered our final shot, I thought about using its remote brain to produce the final video with music and narration. A silly voice in my head said: “Great, click ‘produce video’ now!”
Reality quickly swallowed fantasy. I knew that finishing the video would have to be done in the studio during post production. I kept that embarrassing thought to myself, but immediately realized that a powerful point had just emerged:
What started out as a way to avoid sliding off the sofa to change the channel on our tv “set” has evolved into a metaphor for life itself. Welcome to Remote Control Nation.
Remote technology has enabled us to control, from a distance, things that make life a little less complicated (if you can figure out how to use it!)
Yes, it’s a good thing when we get our hands on an inanimate block of computer-powered plastic with buttons to accept our direction. So I am not troubled by the ever-expanding ubiquity of remote controls. Lawn mowers; cars; airplanes; barbeques; and more. Keep them coming!
My war is against the inexorable proliferation of a “Remote Control MINDSET” that removes our emotional connectedness from life. If we’re not careful, it may be a short jump to searching for Remote Control FAITH.
Our faith is not about securing control, it’s about yielding our control to Christ.
Christianity became complicated and we started looking for a remote control to grow spiritually. You know, press a button to be instantly full of joy. But REMOTE-CONTROL CHRISTIANITY is a myth. We grow spiritually by YIELDING to Christ, not trying to manage our life with a spiritual remote control.
As we’ve learned over the past 10 days, spiritual maturity is not about the things we do. It’s about our surrendered obedience to Jesus. Seeking him every day. Emulating him in every moment. Trusting him in every situation.
I ask God to help me steer clear of any “shortcut” in my spiritual journey.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Have you been taking any spiritual shortcuts? If so, what one step could you take to turn that around?
“How can you be so foolish! You began by God’s Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power?” Galatians 3:3
