Fix Your Eyes

Painting by Yongsung Kim

I think of all the disciples, I'm really beginning to relate the most to Peter. Far from perfection, Peter was the one that denied being a follower of Jesus three times on the day of Jesus' trial. But Peter's love for Jesus and trust in who He said He was was so strong that twice he stepped off a boat in the middle of the sea for Him. Peter's biggest shortcoming (and where I can definitely relate to him) is his tendency to shift his focus from his Savior to his circumstances. In Matthew chapter 14 we read the story of Jesus walking on the water. Before He got to the boat that held His disciples, Peter saw Him and said "Lord, if its you, tell me to come on the water with you." In other words, I'm willing to trust you Lord, I want to trust you Lord....just tell me that its you. Give me to eyes to see you. All Jesus said in response was "Come." That was enough to convince Peter to step out of the known safety and security of the boat and onto the waves. That's an impressive amount of trust. Logically, he knew he couldn't walk on the surface of the sea but he set aside logic and chose to trust in the Who, not in the what. Yet in the very next verse, Peter shifts his focus off of the One in whom he trusts and onto his circumstances. He saw the wind and the waves and suddenly became afraid. As the fear of his circumstances grew, his distrust grew with it and he began to sink. Jesus reached out His hand and said "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Peter didn't make a conscience decision to shift his focus, lose trust, or doubt the Who. He simply took his eyes of Jesus. When he took His eyes off Jesus and focused them onto his circumstances, he began to drown. Do you ever feel that way, like you're sinking? I know I do. I look at my ever-growing to do list, my responsibilities as a mom and a wife, my new job, the house I can't keep up with that is still on the market after 7 months of endless showings, my ministry obligations that I never seem to have enough time for....and then recently a trip abroad, a surprise party for my hubby, my 3 year old son's broken leg, the holidays, sickness, geez Louise! I am drowning. At least that's how I feel when I look around sometimes. Like Peter must've felt when he looked at the wind and waves surrounding him and the water beneath his feet. I can't survive this, I can't do this. I can't. I. Can't. Then he looked at Jesus. He shifted his eyes from the wind to the One who lets "loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power [makes] the south wind blow." (Psalm 78:26) He took his eyes off of the water beneath his feet and onto the One who lifts us from the pit, sets our feet on a rock and gives us a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2) In the moment his gaze shifted from his circumstances to his Savior, his perspective shifted from "I'm drowning" to "I'm being rescued." Don't miss that beautiful truth. I'll say it again...in the moment we shift our gaze off of our circumstances and onto our Savior, our perspective changes from "I'm drowning" to "I'm being rescued." Where are you today? Are you drowning or being rescued? There are days when I just can't seem to make time for the Lord. There aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that has to be done. Those are the days I'm drowning. Then there are the days when I know there isn't enough time but I make my schedule accommodate time with the Lord, even when it seems impossible. Those are the days He rescues me. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." One of my favorite verses since childhood says this: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) Maybe your troubles don't feel light or momentary. Maybe they feel burdensome and enduring. Regardless of the height of the waves, the depth of the water, and the force of the winds...fix your eyes on Jesus. Fixing them on anything other than Him will blind you to His hand reaching for you, rescuing you. Something as small as a dime can block out the entire sun if held close enough to your eye. Whether your troubles are large or small, don't fix your gaze so closely on them as to block out the light of the Son.