Stop Looking Down

It’s ski season here in Colorado and people come from all over country to ski these mountains. Growing up in Indiana, skiing wasn’t on my list of activities.  Then we moved to Colorado where my son works at a ski resort. Of course, his brilliant idea was that dad should try it for the first time. Never mind that I was a 58-year-old beginner. In theory, this sounded like a good thing to do.  I’ll admit that during those two days I rethought the wisdom of that decision many times.  Still, by the end of the second day, I did come to believe that this could actually be fun. In full disclosure I’ve never tried it again!

One of the most difficult things for me to do was to keep my head up.  My son had to repeatedly tell me to quit looking down at my skis and to look instead where I wanted to go.  So, I would raise my gaze and amazingly my skis started to head in the direction I looked.  However, when I started to feel like I was losing control my first reaction was to look down, greatly compounding my troubles.

One can’t help but see the spiritual lesson there.  In Col. 3 we read that since we have been raised with Christ, we are to set our hearts on things above.  Our ultimate destination is eternity with Christ.  He is our supreme guide, and that changes our focus.

Much of what goes on around us is beyond our control.  Yet, neither does it have to control us.  When we take our eyes off Jesus, we can easily become sidetracked.  The grind of life grabs our attention. We forget to look where we are going.  Just as my son constantly reminded me, so Jesus reminds us: “Look up, look at me, keep your focus on where you are headed”. 

I love the advice Jesus gives to his followers in John 16:33: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

At the beginning of this week, take a moment to recalibrate your focus.  This morning Jesus is telling you: “Look up. Keep your eyes on me.  I’m out front.”

The key to moving forward is to focus on where you are going, not where you are standing.

Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein