Fixing My Focus

Fixing My Focus Today, I was driving to work and my phone flashed with a text message. For just a split second, I took my eyes off the road and just about drove into the car in front of me. The driver in front of me saw the close call and put their hands in the air. I put my hands up too—in apology! To make the situation worse, the person I almost hit attends the church where I am a pastor! Distraction is everywhere. My phone. My schedule. My disappointments. My own thoughts. It doesn’t take much for my focus to drift from Jesus to something smaller, louder, or more urgent. “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.” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NIV) There are two actions there: throw off and fix. If something is hindering my spiritual race, it has to go. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. And here’s the truth I’ve had to face: I can’t run free if I’m chained to old sin. I can’t expect spiritual momentum while protecting the very habit that trips me up. Refocusing isn’t passive. It’s intentional. Sometimes for me, that looks like speaking truth out loud when shame tries to dominate. Sometimes it means walking away from environments that trigger old patterns. Sometimes it means turning off noise so I can hear God clearly again. Sometimes it means leaving the phone in my pocket when I am driving! Fixing my eyes on Jesus means remembering who He is and who I am in Him. He endured the cross. He overcame shame. He sits at the right hand of the Father. If He endured, I can endure. Today, I choose to throw off what hinders and fix my eyes again. Not because I’m strong—but because He is. The miracle of today is that Jesus is worth focusing on—you will never regret doing that! Let’s pray together. Jesus, so many things compete for my attention. Reveal what is hindering me. Give me courage to throw it off. Help me fix my eyes on You when distractions pull at me. Remind me that You endured the cross for my freedom. Teach me to run toward You and away from what weakens my soul. Amen. You are a miracle! Grant Fishbook