“Fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2)
Our car has a feature on it that I was pretty determined we get when we selected the vehicle. It’s called a lane departure safety system. I wanted it because a certain person I love, who shall remain anonymous, has a tendency to become distracted when he drives. This feature vibrates the steering wheel when you cross the center line in the road. And if you cross it too many times a warning will go off telling you to stop and get some coffee.
I think this feature on our car should also be in everyone’s heart. How easily we can become distracted by people, events, and news. Being distracted can not only slow us down, but under certain circumstances it can be harmful to us. God gave us eyes in the front of our head, to remind us of the truth that where we look is where we will direct ourselves to. Where we look is where we will end up. Because our life is a journey, it is critical that we look in the direction God wants us to go. Look in the direction he doesn’t want us to go, and we can end up in a place we don’t want to be – or worse yet, shouldn’t be.
Stop and think about where your mind goes in a single day. How much time do you spend thinking about the negative, the ungodly, the dark, the sinful? If much of your time is spent looking in envy at others, or dwelling on the pain from your past, or reliving the hurtful things someone said to you; you will end up living in a dark place. And dark places are always a distraction from God. The truth is, all of us will end up going in the direction we focus on, even if it is not where we want to go.
Luke 9:51 tells us that Jesus, “resolutely set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Jerusalem was his goal, so that was where his focus was. And that was where he ended up. Could it be that many of us don’t end up where we want to go because we don’t diligently set our focus on where we want to go? We want to move on from the past – then let’s set our focus on the future God has for us. We want to stop being envious of others – then let’s set our focus on being grateful for all God has done for us. We have a goal we want to reach – then let’s set our focus on that goal and don’t allow anyone, or anything distract us from it.
Focus on those things that are consistent with God’s plan for your journey. That which is good, and pure, and higher than what this world has to offer. That which you dwell on will become that which you dwell in.
Darlene