When I was in my twenties, I was an avid whitewater kayaker and made any excuse to load up the boat and head out to the Arkansas River Valley in Colorado. My abilities as a kayaker never made it out of the beginner/intermediate stage, but I eventually developed a pretty reliable roll and was even able to handle some Class II/III rapids. A key lesson that was imparted to me early on in my meager kayaking hobby was the axiom that where you place your gaze, your boat will follow.
To illustrate this idea, let's imagine you are paddling down the river, you feel the current picking up and suddenly a massive boulder appears in the very center of the river. At this point your natural instincts kick in as this threat of danger is quickly approaching. You immediately recognize that the solution is to paddle around the obstacle, yet for some reason you just can't take your eyes away from the boulder. You try paddling as hard as you can to steer away from this collision course and yet with each stroke you see the boulder is still getting closer and closer and closer. Suddenly you realize the inevitable outcome and begin to brace for impact. Ouch!
I must embarrassingly admit that in my personal experience this scenario has played out more than a few times, gratefully causing no more than some scrapes and a bruised ego. As I was getting tired of hitting boulders and strainers and all the other lovely hazards the river can throw at you, the axiom above slowly began to take hold and when an obstacle appeared which I wanted to avoid, I began focusing my gaze on the direction I wanted to go rather than continue staring at the thing I wanted to avoid. It was surprising how effective this strategy actually was and although I'm not really certain why it works - I quickly began to intuitively refocus my eyes on where I wanted to be.
Interestingly enough, this same axiom can be applied to so many different aspects of life, and I feel it is what the author of Hebrews is trying to tell us about our spiritual life in this passage. We have a picture of how we are supposed to live and treat each other, which is comprised of the actions, qualities, and character of Jesus. And I have found that in the seasons of my life when I feel that I am running into more than my fair share of obstacles and roadblocks, and life seems over-full of challenges, it is because I have typically moved my focus away from Jesus. It is in these times I am reminded of the Five Essential Spiritual Practices (Worship, Study, Serve, Give, Share) and am convicted by the fact that there is usually one or more that I have neglected. It is time to refocus by re-engaging my spiritual practices.
This, of course, does not mean that all of the obstacles we encounter are avoidable, or that the road (or river) we are on will be easy. What it does mean is that when we place our focus in the right place, on imitating Jesus, we are less likely to encounter those unnecessary obstacles that distract and draw us away from the life God wants for us. And the way to do this is through the small decisions we make each and every day, just like the marathon mentioned in Hebrews is finished by consistency and not by strength.
"follow" - Google News
July 25, 2021 at 12:13AM
https://ift.tt/3BD2vPI
Follow Jesus in running life's marathon - Leawood - Church of the Resurrection
"follow" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35pbZ1k
https://ift.tt/35rGyU8
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Follow Jesus in running life's marathon - Leawood - Church of the Resurrection"
Post a Comment