Eyes ahead

 October 15, 2024

I am too easily distracted. My mind wanders when I pray, and when I sit down to read my Bible, text messages and emails beckon. So Paul’s words here are for me. 

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

A couple days ago, I cautioned against celebrating victory before you cross the finish line. There’s another, similar danger: Don’t look around you. When our children were swimming competitively, if coach Johnson caught them glancing to the lane next to them, he would warn them. That side glance could spell the difference between first and second place. They had one job to do: keep their eyes on the goal.

With all the social media we’re exposed to, added to work environments, abusive home situations, even church contexts, it’s hard to ignore what others are saying about you. Much of the time, it can get pretty toxic, and if not toxic, it quickly descends into maudlin flattery designed to win you over to someone’s pet cause. So here’s my advice from Paul: Don’t let anyone tell you who you are except Jesus. He’s the only one who has that right. He’s the goal, so keep your eye on him. After all, he has his on you.