Where Do You Fix 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.”
Where do you fix your eyes? Allow me if you will to draw your attention to what the author of Hebrews wrote,
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…” - Hebrews 12:1-2
There is a lot we could unpack in this passage, but there’s one thing I want to focus on. The author tells us to throw off what hinders us and run with perseverance the race marked out for us, but how do we do that? Well, the author of Hebrews tells us—by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
My wife is a dancer. She grew up dancing her whole life and has done professional work as a dancer before. She’s even taught me dance… or at least tried to! She now runs her own Performing Arts Academy at Bayside Church.
One of the first things she teaches her students is the importance of a fixed gaze. Some of the best dancers in the world have near-perfect balance and have gained mastery over their bodies’ movements. In the beginning stages, however, they lay the foundation for this mastery by matching their own gaze in a mirror as they spin. When that becomes too easy, they practice by placing a sticky note or something on a wall as a fixed point for when they spin. After each turn they make, they snap their eyes back to that fixed point and with practice that produces balance and steadiness for them.
The most advanced dancers well… they can dance flawlessly in a completely darkened room because they know where their gaze is supposed to be. Their bodies are so attuned to what they need to maintain steadiness that they know how to fix their gaze—even when it seems like they can see nothing but darkness.
How is your gaze? Where or what are your eyes fixed on? The author of Hebrews gives a clear answer for who we should fix our eyes on. We are called to bring all our focus onto Jesus. Why? Because He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. He is the one we look to in the darkest moments. He is the one we celebrate when we experience breakthrough. He is the one we cry out to in the midst of a painful diagnosis. He is the one we honor when we clean up the local elementary school. He is the one we seek when there are no good answers apart from His presence.
It is in Jesus that I have found my own security, stability, identity, hope, dreams, and the longing of my soul. It is in the person of Jesus where I find my deepest longings fulfilled. It is in the confrontation of His goodness against my selfishness where I find myself humbled. Which is good. For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:3
Fixing your gaze on Jesus doesn’t just begin to reveal who God is, but also who you are.
And when the things of this world are finally stripped away—all the apps, jobs, pursuits, and entertainment we distract ourselves with—when all of that is stripped away in the fixing of our eyes on Jesus, we will begin to see not only the pure goodness and holiness of Him, but also the love He has for who you are. For who God has created you to be.
And that will help us run this life with perseverance. And we will not lose heart.
I hope this encourages you today.
