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Your Eyes


         Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 11:1-3)

          As I noted yesterday, the race set before us isn’t a dash or a sprint, it’s an ultra-marathon. Maybe its an ultramarathon with an Ironman Triathlon and a Monster Run (or two, or three) thrown in for flavor. It’s long, it’s hot, it’s sweaty, and it’s dirty. You get broken fingernails, splinters, scratches, cuts, blisters, and a broken heart or two. There is tough terrain and there are those along it who are determined to stop you. Some of them wear the faces of friends, while others proclaim themselves to be experts who are trying to “help.” Along the way, we also find real friends, and people who actually do want to help. Elsewhere in Scripture, we’ll find that this race is across the beaches of Normandy.
           There is only one way to complete this race. We must fix our eyes on our destination. Jesus isn’t waiting at the finish line; He is the Finish Line. It is only through Him that we can begin our race. It is only through Him that we can finish it. And the muddle in the middle? That’s the part where we gain everything we need to complete the journey – not points or treasure, but experience, strength, hope, courage, determination, faith, etc. We’re talking a whole different video game.
          One of the problems I have with driving is that one can’t sight-see from behind the wheel. A glance that is longer than a split second tends to turn the vehicle in the direction of the gaze. Start looking around and you end up off the road, through a guard rail, and into a ravine or up against a mountain. One of the challenges of interstellar travel is that if you start out as little as a tenth of a degree off, you’ll sail past your target. 
          To run this race, you simply must keep your eye on the goal. That’s what Jesus did. He fixed his eye on the joy set before Him. God was the brilliant beacon toward which He ran, but there were tiny pinpricks of light around the beacon – adding no real illumination or warmth, but still there. Those pinpricks were you and I. We were at His finish line. We are included in the joy set before Him.
          As you look at the course before you, it’s easy to lose heart. The way is tough. If you look at the sights around you, it’s easy to get distracted and get off course. The only way to get where you’re going is to keep your eyes on the prize.

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