August 4th, 2010
Eyes on the Horizon
By Pat Matuszak
"Jesus replied, 'No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"
Luke 9:62 TNIV
IN DRIVER'S ED, if I focused on what I was trying to avoid, the car would inevitably veer toward it. Somehow my intention to avoid the thing I feared caused me to drift towards it. Our teacher would cue us to look ahead by saying “Eyes on the horizon.” He trained us to look out, farther than the problem area. Instead of concentrating on where we didn’t want to go, we zeroed in on where wanted to end up.
Sometimes what we are trying to avoid propels toward us like a magnet. Our intention not to do the wrong thing draws so much energy that we don’t have any left to invest in doing the right thing.
The parable of the farmer and the plow offers a similar truth. Jesus explained how the diligent farmer puts his hands on the plow and doesn’t look back. He marks a line ahead, keeping his eyes on it as he carves straight furrows through the fresh soil. If the farmer looks back or off to the side, he veers off course. Look ahead. Don’t look back. Focus on your destination, and lesser worries won’t sidetrack your efforts.
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This was my morning devotional for today. It was such an eye opener, an "ah-ha!" moment, if you will, that I felt it was worth mentioning and sharing.
If you've done some occasional reading in my blog over the past eight months, you've probably gotten a pretty good grasp on my "goal" for this year. If you haven't, go back and read. You'll pick up quickly, I promise.
So this devotional...it really opened my eyes and got the mind gears working. We (and when I say "we", I' mean "me") as Christians always start out our quests with such sweet intentions. Our beginnings are always good, or most of the time anyways. We set out with our backpacks on, packed full of great supplies, vitamin water in hand, with our eyes on the horizon (our goal/destination). But as we start walking, where do our eyes drift? I know mine never seem to stay on that horizon or even in the same general direction for that matter.
I've found myself asking God all of these questions lately. "Why did this happen? Why did they say that? Why did I do this? Is this part of your plan? Is this your fault?" Without even realizing it, I've taken my eyes off of my goal, my horizon, and have found them drifting from obstacle to obstacle. I have focused on what is directly in front of me so much that I haven't even realized that I am now heading west when my original direction was north. My ultimate goal was to grow in God and to have Him grow in me throughout this year of "no pursuing-no dating." But I've become so focused on NOT dating and NOT pursuing, that they have become my immediate goal, hindering me from remembering what I original set out to do.
"'God, may I decrease so that You may increase' because I need help keeping my eyes focused."
---thomas
