Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace

Helen H.Lemmel

Dear Believer, 

If you are anything like me, you have experienced life’s many distractions. At home, I’ve got a to-do list as a feeble attempt to stay on track of things I plan on doing that day. But as soon as I begin, I remember that I need to throw in a load of laundry. I go upstairs to get the load and discover the puppy is tearing up a piece of paper that managed to fall on the floor the night before. As I clean it up from the floor, I see that the carpet needs vacuuming. I get the vacuum and my teenager tells me he is ready to be taken to practice. I abandon the vacuum, quickly get dressed, and realize I was upstairs to get the laundry. I go downstairs and look at my to-do list as I walk out the door to be Mom’s taxi. Mentally putting vacuuming and laundry on the to-do list. And on it goes. Sound familiar? In our busy lives, we have so many things swirling around our atmosphere and pulling us in different directions, it is hard to constantly focus on what anchors us. 

The distractions can be obvious like my example above, but sometimes they are sneaky, sometimes disguised as other things. Sometimes they can be intentional distractions used by the enemy to pull our focus away from our spiritual and ministry goals.  Below are some to look out for. 

Worry/Anxiety. Most of us tend to worry about something, sometimes. It’s like we can’t help it. But it is such a time and focus destroyer!  When action-producing concern becomes unfruitful worry, it pulls our focus on our circumstances and away from God. 

Social obligations and activities. No man is an island and we are social creatures, this is true. We have sports, academics, work, and church activities. Not to mention the musts like doctor visits and oil changes. Our calendars are full. We work hard, we play hard, and we hardly have time for the One who has provided the opportunity for the first two. 

Technology. This is a biggie. I write that as I write on my laptop, just got a notification on my smartwatch, that prompted me to check my phone. Don’t get me wrong, technology can be a tremendous blessing, as we know coming off of a pandemic. It was one of the easiest and quickest ways to be connected to our loved ones and I, for one, am grateful. But it can be equally a curse if not monitored.  

Difficult people. The complainer. The immature. The drama queen. These can definitely suck you into a negative and even sinful space. Instead of feeding into it, use Scripture to gently steer those away from frivolous things and refocus. 

Materialism/Aesthetic Lifestyle: With such easy access to buying and selling and portraying a certain “look”, we can be constantly looking for the newest gadget or trend.

The above distractions should be familiar to most of us. Regardless of which is more frequent or more of a pull for you, the remedy is always the same. In Matt. 14, the disciples were in their boat when a strong wind caused the waves to beat on it. As Jesus appeared to them walking on the water the disciples became fearful. Peter asked Jesus to call him out into the water and as he did, he “walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink. He cried out, ‘Lord, save me’. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

Did you notice that he walked on the water as he walked toward Jesus? His eyes, his focus, was ON Jesus. What happened when he looked around him? His surroundings were scary. His focus shifted from Jesus to his circumstances. He became unsure, terrified, and possibly overwhelmed. He began to sink. The command was to go towards Jesus. Same as with us. But we, too, like Peter tend to look elsewhere. We look at the church drama. We look at our imperfect relationships. We look at the stress at work. Whatever it is, if that “look” becomes our focus, we sink. We begin to see that circumstance as bigger and bigger, and God becomes smaller and smaller. We get discouraged. We get discontented. We lose sight of our eternal mission and get stifled by our temporary problems. Dear Believer, I know it is hard. We tend to worry and fuss. But the LORD commands us to

“…fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. 2 Cor. 4:18 NIV

and to …

… “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Heb.12:2.

Life happens. But remember why you are here. Remember what your purpose on earth is. We are passing through. And while we are passing through, we are to make use of our time wisely. Ephesians tells us, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil” (5:15).

And even when we don’t know what to do and things seem confusing and chaotic, keep your eyes on him. As 2 Chronicles recalls,

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (20:12).

Dear Believer, set your eyes, your heart and mind, and strength on the One who loves you with an everlasting love. The One who died that you may be free from the diversions, interruptions, and disturbances of this temporary world. Turn your eyes towards the One who is holding out his hand so that you can walk on the water with him among the winds and storms of life.

The LORD be with you,

Bianca

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus Hymn Story with Lyrics – Story Behind the Hymn – Helen H. Lemmel