Fix My Eyes
My mother used to sew beautiful dresses for me when I was a little girl. In addition to the beautiful buttons, ribbons, and lace she would artfully add to each of the garments, they always had a full skirt. When the time came to put them on for the first time, I would inevitably begin to spin and twirl to watch the skirt flow away from me. Years later, I had a little girl of my own. While I did not develop my mother’s sewing skills and therefore could not sew dresses for her, I still enjoyed watching her spin and twirl in her dance costumes.
There is a wild and mesmerizing beauty in watching fabric ripple and flow with movement. In the beginning, the fabric moves slowly and gently begins to flare away from the center.
As speed picks up, the fabric begins to undulate and flutter in a wild pattern that is both smooth and chaotic.
Just as a dancer twirls, so can our thoughts. If left untamed, we can quickly find ourselves tangled up inside, losing our sense of peace and direction in life. Uncontrolled thoughts leave us off-balance, open to the lies of the enemy, and vulnerable to fear and anxiety. This can lead to a swirl of emotions that feel dizzying and disorienting. One of the techniques a dancer uses to combat the feeling of dizziness when she spins is called “spotting.” She will pick an object or spot in front of her at eye level to focus her head and eyes on, as her body begins to rotate. As the motion continues, there will come a point where the head can no longer hold its fixed position, and she will quickly rotate it, overtaking her body to refocus on the original spot. This technique allows her to remain centered and have the ability to continue spinning without losing balance and falling.
In 1 Peter 1:13 it says, “Therefore gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” There are three commands in this verse – gird your mind, keep sober in spirit, and fix your hope.
In order to fix our hope on Jesus, the first thing we must do is gird our minds. We must gain control of the long, flowing thoughts that distract or send us down rabbit trails, leaving us vulnerable to our wayward feelings and the lies of the enemy. Scripture instructs us to gird our minds in the following ways:
· Set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2)
· Let our minds dwell on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and of good repute (Philippians 4:8)
· Transform and renew our minds (do not conform to the world’s way of thinking) (Romans 12:2)
· Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Next, we are to remain sober in spirit. To be sober in spirit is to be calm and collected, temperate and circumspect. This means recognizing and rejecting fear and anxiety when chaotic thoughts begin to swirl. Scriptural ways we can remain sober in spirit include:
· Prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6)
· Casting our cares and anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7)
· Seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33)
· Trusting Him (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Finally, we are to fix our hope on Him. The dictionary defines this aspect of “fix” as “to direct one’s eyes, mind, or attention steadily or unwaveringly toward.” This brings us full circle to the concept of a dancer using the spotting technique. There is no denying that we live in a turbulent time in history. Our nation (and the world) is being ripped apart at the seams, and it feels like society is spinning out of control at an alarming rate of speed. It is so easy to get distracted by the chaos and take our eyes off the Lord. When we inevitably begin to lose our balance, let it serve as a reminder to renew our focus on Him.
I was born spiritually blind to my own sin. The Holy Spirit fixed my eyes by revealing to me my sinful heart and helping me to see my need for salvation and a right relationship with Him. In return, I need to fix my eyes on Him, the author and perfector of my faith, the Hope of my salvation.
