There is an expression in the track world that says “Run Tall”. What people mean by this is to imagine a balloon filled with helium attached to your head that pulls you up, straightens your spine, keeps your chin up, and fixes your eyes on the horizon. When someone tells you to run tall, they are telling you to correct your posture, refocus, and fix your eyes. What’s more in basketball when you are being taught how to shoot for the first time you are told to look at the square on the backboard and not the net, otherwise you might miss your shot. Finally, when we are learning to drive, the advice everyone gives us from our parents to random people at church is “Keep your eyes on the road!!!”
Some of you might be saying “Okay Jacob what does running, cars, and basketball have to do with Christianity?”
Because all three pieces of advice (regardless of the activities they are applied to) are essentially the same. They teach us that it matters where our focus is, it matters where we look.
Proverbs 4:25-27 says this “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you, ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The above-mentioned advice doesn’t come from track, driving, or basketball. It comes from GOD and His understanding of human nature.
The Bible says: “Stay focused or you’re gonna swerve”, “Stay focused or you will miss the shot, your shot”, “Stay focused or you will trip”.
Are we missing our shots? Are we swerving? Are we tripping? Where is our focus?