This passage (along with the first verse in Heb. 12) is one of my very favorites in all of Scripture. Truly, fixing our eyes on Jesus is surely the key to living a life of faithfulness, joy and peace in Christ. The Lord brings me back again and again to this concept of turning my gaze away from all that this world offers and fixing my gaze upon Him. I want to stare at my circumstances, my desires, my problems, and myself. As it's been said so many times, when we are all wrapped up in ourselves, it makes a very small package. And we truly do become that with which we are preoccupied. If our mind's eye focuses on ourselves, our wants, our lacks then we will find ourselves growing more and more selfish, impatient, ungrateful, irritated, worried, and foolish.
But if we fix our eyes on our Saviour, we will discover peace and joy and wisdom and strength no matter what our circumstances. We need to focus not on our gaps but on our God. We will always always always have gaps in our lives: places where we fall short or we don't have enough or we don't measure up. But when we focus on our Almighty Lord who never ever runs out or low or short, then we will find Him transforming us and enabling us to handle all those gaps in His infinite power and ability.
I just read this definition of fixing our eyes on Jesus from Priscilla Shirer: "Turn your attention to Him. There's only one way to do that. Pivot your attention away from that which is bugging you, away from the frustration, away from the seemingly impossible. Turn your attention away from that which so often pulls your attention toward it. Deliberately, consciously turn your attention away. Pivot 180 degrees until your attention if focused on Jesus Christ." She goes on to explain that "The word 'fix' means to intentionally set our gaze upon Him with purpose. If our eyes are 'fixed' on something, they are watching with intent."
Okay, here's the word picture--our good old lab, Moses! He spends his days lounging and resting. He wants to be wherever we are, and if he is near us, then it's naptime--all day long! But, if he hears the slightest sound of food being prepared or consumed or even just the sound of the possibility of food being brought out in any way shape or form, he is suddenly alert... and I mean ALERT! He rushes to wherever the aforesaid food is being consumed or prepared, and he sits up with eyes fixed like a laser upon that person. It's really incredible: he goes from semi-comatose to all ears and eyes and in the active ready position in less than 5 seconds. And he will remain at full alert--eyes fixed, gaze unwavering, ready to move at a moment's notice--until the food is all gone. And then it's back to the resting position.
I couldn't help but think of Moses when I contemplated this verse. That is the kind of fixing my eyes upon Jesus that I want to engage in throughout the day! Sure, it's easy to fix my eyes on Him when I'm peacefully reading my Bible and the house is quiet and all's right with the world. But throw in a houseful of children, or a problem with one of the children's schools or a financial crisis or a medical problem with a loved one or just a too long to do list with a too short time availability, and our focus starts to waiver. Before we know it, we have forgotten all about fixing our gaze on our God and we are fixating on all our gaps.
The solution: simple, just refocus. If we have to do it a thousand times a day, we need to stop and refocus our gaze on the One who holds all the answers and all the power. He is the source of encouragement and joy and strength and peace when we have none. So, like Moses, we need to choose to get up from whenever we are camped out, and fix our eyes on our Master. We need to seek His presence and His food through the Word like our sweet old Lab seeks that spoonful of peanut butter or forkful of scrambled eggs.
He is there and waiting. You are never out of His sight, though He may be out of your sight by your choosing to gaze elsewhere. So stop and choose to fix your eyes on Jesus, and like Moses, keep focusing upon Him intentionally and doggedly (excuse the pun) and wholeheartedly. It's not about the gaps. It's about God. And to Him be the glory.
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