Growing Larger by Looking Smaller

Modern digital cameras obtain their images in an extremely inefficient way. They obtain millions of the basic building blocks of images, called pixels, in forming a picture of the subject matter. The images are then compressed ten to fifty times, and then a picture is finally formed that you are able to view.

One of the modern problems that seemed unsolvable was eliminating the excess pixels that were never “needed in the first place. It took a genius professor of mathematics overnight to solve the issue. Terence Tao was able to apply certain knowledge to an existing problem that had been unsolved by those who were in the know. He was made a full professor of mathematics at UCLA at the age of 24.

In solving the problem, he proved that you could obtain just the needed pixels instead of gathering all of the excess and then eliminate all of the rest. This inefficiency created an extra amount of work.

There are times where we see so much that it is difficult knowing what is good and worthy, and what should be jettisoned. Our focus can produce a great number of in focus pixels and still miss the proper portion on which we should be looking.
Demas spent much of his time with the proper things in view. Yet, it was focusing on the improper elements of the journey that cost him a valued friendship in Paul, and it all points that his salvation was left along with his friendship also.
The millions of pixels of this “present world” were far greater than his ability of sorting and removal.

However, this is not a signal, lone event in scripture. It occurs with such repetition that it quite frankly is frightening. Time fails of telling of Cain, Hofni and Phineas, and even Uzzah.
Placing a hand on his disciples, Jesus would indeed steady a boat, but much more importantly, steady a life. He would encourage them, “Let not your heart be troubled,” but rather grow much larger by “believing on me.” He was, and is the part of the picture that should not be eliminated.

Yes, indeed, he is everywhere. The viewports of life, the eyes, are constantly recording imagery. Yet the discipline of eliminating excess is often hard, and inordinately easy to eject. He is definitely in every picture that your eye will ever take. Everything is not God, but His Spirit is everywhere at once.

This principle is most in evidence around the Christmas season. The nativities are arrayed, carols are sung on the elevators and halls and yet the blessed Jesus remains in the background, relegated to the part of the picture that is soon eliminated in favor of a much more festive time. If I can successfully remove the Christ child from this time of the year, I will easily become self centered, and concerned solely with myself. This prescription is much in favor these days. Yet it is the dynamic opposite of the one written on the greatest prescription pad of all time. John the Baptist said it best when he reported, “He must increase, and I. . . . . . must decrease.” John remained constant in his ability of focusing and eliminating, seeing the precious portion of the picture that mattered the most.

Yet the magnificent words that Jesus said, “Never has there been a greater prophet than John" prove that looking and being smaller indeed caused him to be much larger than he ever could have on his own.