My typical weekend mornings start with a run. The exact time depends on the day’s schedule (or let’s be real, how many times I press the snooze button), but if I leave at a certain time, I can usually bet on encountering a particular man walking his two dogs.
I can also count on my passing footsteps riling up said dogs. They bark and lunge forward on their leash attempting to shoo me away so they can resume their peaceful stroll.
That is, unless the owner does one thing.
One morning as I approached, I noticed the man stop his walk and direct the faces of his dogs to his own. With their eyes focused on the face of the one they know and trust, everything around them faded away. My presence no longer threatened them and as I ran by, they remained completely still and calm.
This little encounter served as a powerful reminder that where we fix our eyes matters.
Every day, we are bombarded with distractions, temptations, and fear triggering circumstances.
The more we stare at those things, the more worked up we will become.
But we too have a man directing our faces to himself. The writer of Hebrews says this:
“…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith….” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a ESV)
This “looking to” is not just a glance in Jesus’ direction. It is a full stop looking away from every distraction, fear, and temptation and looking to Jesus. As some translations put it, it’s “fixing our eyes” on him.
You may be wondering, but how do we look to someone we cannot see?
Well, what’s in view when looking at someone’s face? His or her presence and character, right?
Fixing our eyes on Jesus involves craving his presence. Although Jesus is physically absent now, we can experience his presence within us through the Helper he sent in his name, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16, 18, 26)
Looking to Jesus also involves gazing upon his trustworthy character revealed to us in the pages of Scripture.
As we seek his presence and his Word, our spiritual eyes find the face of Jesus.
He alone provides the security, encouragement, and peace we need to remain still and calm amidst the chaos of the world around us.
Looking to him will not magically change our conditions or remove all surrounding threats, but it does remove their power to undo us.
You have quite the talent for being able to see lessons in the ordinary things of life, and write beautifully about them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your heart!
Thank you Valerie!❤️ To God be the glory. I greatly appreciate your kind words and support.