Remember in high school and/or college when you had to create a PowerPoint presentation for a class project? And how you could NEVER decide which transition effect to add to your slide? Do you use the straight switch to the next page? The dissolving effect? The swoop-from-behind? So many choices!
I was sitting at my computer and that thought popped into my head, along with that while there are many different effects to get from one slide to the next, no matter what you choose, the same thing is going to happen, you go from slide A to slide B. So in a way, we are God’s PowerPoint presentation and He chooses which transitioning slide to carry us from slide to slide in our lives. Now, stay with me here… If He uses the cut-through black effect-maybe there was a time that your life seemed to stop completely in blackness before the next slide kicked in. Maybe the wheel effect; maybe there is a time in your life that your life turned (or will turn) around and around. Or the box out transition, just POOF, new slide. Or random bars, a time when you didn’t know what the heck was happening, is this a new slide? old slide? WHAT IS IT AND WHERE AM I?!
Remember how many choices we had in preparing our PowerPoint? Didn’t you usually end up using a different transition effect for each slide? God does the same thing; He is an uber creative God and He’s already seen the whole presentation and given it a passing grade. He knows which transition will be the best. Even when you’re confused and don’t know what slide you’re really on… one day you’ll be able to look back and realize the different transitioning effects between the slides that create your life. Paul knew what this was, LONG before Microsoft Office existed… He writes to the church in Corinth, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the spirit-makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, emphasis added) The purpose of our ever-transitioning lives is to, as we go from one slide to the next, look more like Christ in each slide. I’m not negating that the transition effects can be extremely difficult and it may even seem like your slide show is over… but let me tell you friend, that God has the timer already set, too. He knows how long to stay on what slide and exactly the precise second to continue on the presentation. That encourages me… as I try to “figure” out “my” life, this stopped me and I realized that I don’t have to “figure” out anything, I just need to follow God. And it’s not “my” life to figure out; I’ve given my life to Jesus… I’ve given Him the rights to write my story, to use me and place me as He sees best. Plus, I’m only a character in the final project. And He’s got a way better view of the presentation than I do.
I guess I learned more in college than I thought.
Bottom line: God is the Presenter.
