Fixed Eyes

Have you ever watched a new infant and how intently he/she watches you? The eyes are fixed on you, following the sound of your voice as you move around them. As the child grows older, their attention may be momentarily called away to another object, something shinier or more interesting to them. But if you say the child’s name, like magic, their focus returns to you. At least that is the way I have noticed things happening until the child is about six or so and then all bets are off about whether you can get and hold their attention or not.

What is our focus when we are talking about our spiritual walk? As a new Christian, I was eager to learn all I could about God and His love for me. I didn’t want to miss a single minute of His guidance or plan for my life, so my eyes were fixed on him. Then, as a child maturing, my focus was captured by other “shiny” things, this pastor or that evangelist and a new message that they were giving. Or sometimes, my focus was captured by friends, family, trials and sicknesses. In other words, as I aged, I took my eyes off the One who created me and started paying more attention to the creation. God has reprimanded me and let me know that is the wrong path to take and I am working on forming new habits.

Another reason to come to the Lord as a child is the total trust we have in Him and the way we don’t let Him out of our sight. No matter what room I moved to when my children were young, they were right there beside me. I called them my shadows because they kept their eyes on me and when I moved, they did, too. That is the way I think we should keep our eyes on God. A steady looking at Him for our guidance and for direction for what our next steps should be. When we keep our eyes on Him, all of the problems we have seem to fade into insignificance because we know that they are temporary but He is eternal.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus-Hillsong Worship

May your day be blessed and your eyes be fixed on Him, the one who knows and loves you best.

Fixing Our Eyes

I try to wake up each morning with praise on my lips, just thanking God for a new day and for the fact that I’m alive. Sometimes, though, my mind immediately goes to errands I have to run or appointments to keep. I have to wrestle my thoughts back into the corral of praise and focus on God and His goodness. Sometimes, that battle for control of my mind is harder than others. I have found that if I just roll over and lie quietly, focusing on God is easier for me. His love for me overwhelms me and my thoughts are naturally fixed on Him.

This was one of the verses in my devotional this morning. It’s hard to realize that as I look around, everything I see will one day be gone. Even I shall return to dust. However, if I look with my spiritual eyes, I see the promise of a bright eternity with God, with all things new, no sorrow, no pain and no sin or temptation. That kind of vision is one that can give us hope in spite of all that we see around us.

God’s promise is that His salvation and righteousness will last forever. He has bestowed on each believer the righteousness that His Son bought for us on the cross. It is not a fleeting gift or one that wears out, soon forgotten in the back of a closet or drawer somewhere. His righteousness is a robe that we put on daily, as we awaken and thank Him for His mercy and love and for His free gift of salvation. Fixing our eyes on God is not just so that we can have the right vision to start the day; rather, it is the way that we should go through each hour of every day, with the knowledge that this world is passing away but what we do with and for God is eternal.

Have a wonderful day and be blessed with the knowledge of His love for you that never fails!