“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Colossians 3:1-2
Have you ever felt like the world was spinning out of control, or even just the room? When I was learning to do spin kicks in Taekwondo, someone suggested finding a focal point and returning to it after each turn to keep from getting dizzy. When your world seems to be spinning out of control and you feel anxious, you probably need a focal point, too.
Find the Right Focal Point
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 KJV
In Taekwondo, we focused on the goal of where we wanted to strike. In our spiritual lives we need to also focus on the goal: Jesus. He should be the center of our world as well as our goal for our spiritual development. We are to become more like Jesus every day, which means we have to keep our focus on him and his example and not on the world around us.
Sometimes I find myself looking at the wrong things, like what the world thinks I should be doing or what I want instead of what God wants for me. This week I really struggled to focus because I was looking at everything around me instead of on the one true thing. What you choose to focus on determines your trajectory.
Fix on the Focal Point
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Proverbs 4:25
The world is full of lies and distractions, but when we fix our eyes on him, all that fades into the background. It’s not something that we just do once or just do long enough to complete one task. It is something we have to continually do. Every time I executed a spin kick I had to refix my focus.
This past week I was spinning and seriously lacking in focus. The cat at the machine shop went missing, my cat was sick, and my bank balance didn’t have room for a vet visit. All I could see were the problems. I was praying, but I was focusing on the problems instead of looking to Jesus. It kept me off balance and fighting anxiety. I was demanding a quick response, but the Spirit said, “Be patient.” Over the weekend, a change of food corrected my cat’s digestive issue without a vet visit. I just had to wait for the new food to kick in.
Follow-through to the Focal Point
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
When I am doing a spin kick, I choose the focal point, fix on it, spin, and return to the focal point. Spiritually speaking, I have to keep returning to the focal point and not looking behind me. You can’t win a race or a fight if you are looking behind you. The armor of God does not cover your back because we are to face the enemy while looking to God for our hope and our future. When we face forward and keep taking one step at a time, we will make progress in the race set before us.
It’s been a battle this week, but God has gently nudged me back in the right direction time and again until I found solid footing again. If you feel the world spinning around you, take a moment to consider what you are focusing on. Like me, you may need to turn off the news and social media and find a quiet place to focus on the source of our peace. It did me a world of good, and I think it will you too.
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