by Elder Johnny Kim
During a particular weekend every October, swarms of military planes take to the San Diego skies in what is a familiar sight (and sound!) for nearby residents. Although the Miramar Air Show showcases a variety of technologically advanced aircraft, the highlight of the show is without a doubt the Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. The Blue Angels are made up of six F/A-18 Hornets, the Navy’s premier fighter jet currently in use all around the world. Each of the six jets is flown by a highly trained and experienced fighter pilot, considered to be the best of the best. Even the jets themselves are maintained by the best mechanics, all working together to help the Blue Angels accomplish their mission: to promote the Navy to the public and to serve as an invaluable recruiting tool through their performances.
With an important mission that puts them in front of millions of spectators (and potential recruits) each year, it is no wonder that the Blue Angels strive to be the best. However, beneath the highly polished signature blue paint on their jets lies a little known fact about the Blue Angels and an apparent contradiction at that: the jets given to them to fly are always the oldest and most worn out jets in the Navy. One might have guessed that for the venerable and highly visible Blue Angels, only the newest jets would do, but a simple overarching Navy philosophy dictates otherwise: the newest jets and those in the best condition shall be reserved for war and combat. As important as the Blue Angels’ mission seems, it ultimately takes a back seat to the simple truth that fighter jets are built for the purpose of going to war to fight, not performing shows.
In a similar sense, we as Christians are resources ourselves which can be used for a myriad of purposes, all of which can be really important and worthwhile. Whether it is the pursuit of higher education, career advancement, health, social justice, or even relationships, a compelling case can always be made for the merits and benefits of each, so long as they are not inherently sinful or evil. However, as Christians, we too are subject to a simple truth about our true purpose in life and what we have been ultimately created for. Isaiah 43:7 makes it clear that we were created for God’s own glory and to glorify Him. Furthermore, we see in Ephesians 1:11-12 that the chief reason He even redeems us is ultimately for His glory as well. God, the Creator of the universe, has created us for a specific purpose, a purpose to which all others must take a back seat. No matter how important a given endeavor or accomplishment might seem, nothing can ever be more important, worthwhile, and more rewarding than the fulfillment of what we were specifically created to do: to bring God the most glory.
And yet, even those of us who consider ourselves to be mature Christians make decisions each and every day that often just reflect our own priorities based on our own judgment of what we think is important. Worse yet, we can even find ourselves walking down a twisted and convoluted path of reasoning until we find just enough “good” along the way to justify what are, deep down in our hearts, really just our own desires. Society, friends, family, and even well-intentioned fellow Christians can affirm the importance of the things we do, even if God’s glory is not paramount. However, as 2 Timothy 3:17 reminds us, it is God and His all-sufficient word that should be the “overarching philosophy” for our Christian lives, dictating for us the priorities we ought to live by.
Are you living for the purpose that God has created you? Do you make decisions in your life that show you are living out the Christian’s ultimate mission? Are you using your time, money, material possessions, and talents, for the most important purpose and not just an important purpose? Because, in keeping with the Blue Angels metaphor, answering yes or no to these questions can be the difference between Christian lives that are in a battle, fighting to bring God the most glory, and Christian lives that are just putting on a nice show.