Fixing Your Focus

When I was 14, I learnt to snowboard. One of the first things the instructor teaches you, is to look in the direction you want to head and the rest will come naturally.  As soon as your focus shifts from the destination, to the snow laden trees or the steep, daunting slope below, you find yourself face down in the snow like a scene from a cartoon!

All too often this can be similar to our faith. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you realise you have become distracted by something and have lost sight of Gods plan? When we find ourselves heading in the wrong direction it is often because we have allowed our eyes to wander away from God and we have started to veer off-course.

In Hebrews 12:2 it says:

 ‘’ Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it, because he never lost sight of where he was headed’’

In  our lives there are so many things that compete for our attention and try to distract us from seeking God above all else; whether that be getting the approval of your friends, a boy, or even feeling overwhelmed by all the bad things going on in the news.

In Mathew 14, Peter finds himself in a position some of us may be able to relate to (metaphorically I hope!) He was walking on water, towards Jesus in the middle of a storm. In this account Peter stops focusing on Jesus and switches his focus onto the raging sea below him and he begins to sink. My favourite bit about this story is that as soon as Peter realises what’s happening and cries out ‘’Lord save me’’, Jesus reaches down and rescues him.

When we take our eyes off of Jesus and inevitably take a tumble, He is always there to pick us up and dust us off. He reminds us that in order to arrive at our destination, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Him; much like the snowboarding instructor, but with an infinite amount of patience!

The thing is, when we set our sights on Jesus and the end goal of an eternity with Him, everything else falls into place. Suddenly everything is put into perspective and it makes it easier to live a life that honours Him.

What do you do to keep your eyes on Jesus? Maybe you have a favourite bible verse that helps keep you on track? Whatever it is, we would love to hear from you in the comments below so that we can encourage one another.