Deep and WideSample

Finding the Proper Subject

In the movie Hook, the 1990s version of the Peter Pan story starring Robin Williams, there’s a scene in which Captain Hook tries to identify a traitor in his pirate crew.

When he identifies the person he believes bet against him, he forcefully and dramatically points his hook into the crowd and says, “You!”

At this, the entire crew responds by pointing at themselves in bewildered disbelief.

Hook does, in the end, walk towards and narrow in on a specific pirate, but on the way down, he says to those he is passing, “No, not you.” “Not you.” Until finally, “You.”

Sometimes, it’s easy to miss the subject or to misidentify the subject. I wonder if that happens a lot in our spiritual lives. We twist things to be about us instead of God. That God’s plan somehow revolves around us instead of around Him.

Don’t misunderstand; we’re the object of God’s plan, but we are definitely not the subject when it comes to our salvation.

Remember grade school grammar?

In a sentence, the subject is the one doing the action.

In today’s verses, it is important to remember that the subject is God. It is out of His love that He acts. It is through His power that we are saved. It was when we were still powerless and sinners that Christ died for us.

You see, it was always about God. It was not about us. We benefitted, but it was God who was demonstrating His love.

Men, this situation does not change when we receive the gift of salvation. It is still all about God. It is not about you or me.

How often, though, do we forget that our lives revolve around God and not ourselves? How often do we lose sight of the fact that we were (and still are) powerless on our own?

Sometimes, this is difficult to remember in both the excitement and monotony of life. It’s easy to get confused about who is truly on center stage.

That’s why we need to consistently remind ourselves that we are the objects of the subject's great love.

Prayer: Father God, forgive me for the times when I put myself on center stage. Forgive me for the times I confuse who the subject is and who the object is. Thank You for helping me to live in Your power. Amen.

Reflection: How do you show God and others that God is center stage in your life?