Keep your focus

When Jesus hung bleeding on the Roman cross, the book of Hebrews tells us he “despised” the shame while enduring the suffering. To despise the shame in Jesus’ mind was to consider it less than worthless and something to ignore. He didn’t let it distract him because he was on a mission and knew the joy that was set before him when he would sit down at the right hand of God on the throne.

Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith. In Philippians 3, Apostle Paul tells us he presses on and “has set his eye on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

There’s an old story about a farmer and his son. While out in the field he instructed the young boy on how to plow the corn rows straight; he told him to focus on something way beyond the edge of the field and remain fixed on it. Later, when he returned to inspect his son’s work, he found the corn rows skewed and curvy. “What happened?” he asked. “Did you keep your eyes fixed like I told you?” The boy replied, “Yes, father, I kept my eyes fixed on one of the cows in the next field.”

The idea of keeping his eyes fixed on a roaming object is humorous but explains why we often we fail. A racehorse is given blinders when competing so that he’s not distracted from the crowd. The runner who keeps his focus on the finish line is not deterred by the hurdles that need to be cleared along the way. These are the ways to meet the goal: keeping a fixed perspective.

For the believer, there is no other goal than living for Jesus in all that we do. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and not the worldly distractions that so easily entangle us is the only way to win.

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