Hebrews 12:1-2
Every now and then I struggle to do just one thing. My mind goes one direction and then I realize that I am talking with someone, trying to hold up a conversation. My Mom has learned to read the signs of when I am distracted or trying to do too many things at once.
Confession time, I guess. I am writing this reflection in the middle of our North Central District Free Church conference. The music is going, I am surrounded by so many other pastors and lay leaders and, yet, I am distracted in my mind. I had to pause and take my focus off the songs that I don’t know and the kingdom relationships that I am trying to build to write just a few things down.
Have you ever been in that spot where no matter what you are doing you are distracted and struggling to focus? Sometimes I sit and think about what God is doing in other people’s hearts and lives and wonder why didn’t this song, or that passage, or these friendships draw me closer to Jesus like them? Here at this meeting I am dealing with past experiences, my own feelings, and the unknown of everyday life.
As I sit here even now my mind is racing to one passage, perhaps it is one that you are drawn to as well, Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Even as I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, my thoughts and mind are a little distracted. I need to turn from what I am feeling, doing and experiencing so that I am fix my eyes fully and completely on Jesus. You may need to hear that today as I am hearing it.
When you end up distracted, frustrated, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, or any other number of feelings and thought patterns you can fix your eyes on Jesus. Let us try together, as God’s church and fellow believers, to set aside our distractions and turn to Jesus. Not just when we walk in the doors of the church building, which we should already be doing, but every day fix our eyes on Jesus.
The author of Hebrews calls us to set aside the encumbrances and use endurance to run this race of faith. Where are we running to? To Jesus, who endured the cross with joy and in conquering death sat down at the right hand of God. We fix our eyes on the Savior who died for our sin and encumbrances and rose again to bring us salvation. No matter what is going on in our lives, let us together fix our eyes on Jesus.