Bigger Than Ourselves

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…-Heb. 12:1

How great were the Olympics?! I don’t even like most sports all that much, but I enjoyed tuning in for almost any Olympic event NBC wanted to send my way. It’s not even the actual athletic ability or the winning or the medal counts that grab my attention. It’s the big-ness of the event, made even greater by the smaller stories of all these individuals who recognize that these games are bigger than just themselves.

Yes, there are absolutely athletes who compete for self-for their own glory, accomplishment, and victory. But the ones who see the honor in just being there, who help an injured competitor across the finish line, who boldly proclaim to the entire world that their identity is in Christ and His work on the cross (rather than their own athletic ability and victory)--those are the stories that grip my heart and choke me up.

Because they get that the Olympics is about so much more than themselves. It’s about bringing countries together in a haven of unity, if even for a short time; it’s about sportsmanship; it’s about being examples of ordinary people who train hard to accomplish extraordinary feats. The athletes that understand all this also grasp the weight of the great cloud of witnesses they have, and they bear that weight with humility and care.

God’s kingdom, and even our own little place in it, is about so much more than ourselves. We also have a great cloud of witnesses. At this point in Hebrews, I believe the author is referring to the heroes of faith in the Old Testament mentioned in chapter 11. They have gone before us and endured huge trials, persecution, and suffering for the sake of a Kingdom bigger than themselves.  

I can’t help but think that that great cloud of witnesses also includes the current world around us-our families, friends, communities, countries, the world. There are people around us watching our actions and interactions for a hope they don’t even know they crave. I’m not here to start preaching some legalistic lecture about what we should and should not be saying, doing, drinking, watching, whatever. It’s not about that.

It is about having a broader view of God’s Kingdom. It’s so much more epic than just our own day-to-day life and relationship with Him, though that is vital as well. I want to be a Christ follower who sees opportunities for grace and the furthering of God’s kingdom in even the smallest moments of my day. I want to be a Christ follower who understands the weight and the grandness of His sacrifice for us and to share that understanding with the same humility and care of the Olympians I mentioned earlier.  

Being a part of God’s kingdom means we are a part of something so much bigger and outside of ourselves. There’s such joy and freedom in that. It’s not about us--it’s so much bigger than that! My prayer is that the reminder of our "great cloud of witnesses” is an encouragement for us to see the bigger picture, the height and depth and breadth of our Savior’s kingdom, and to look for ways to further it.

- Connie