“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Fixed Focus

Filled with excitement, I walked into the studio for my first ballet lesson. Wearing my new purple leotard, I felt gracefully light on my feet. We lined up in front of a mirrored wall and music filled the room. I pointed my toe, what form! I stepped this way and that, what poise!  It was when we began to spin, as ballerinas do, that things began to go wrong. What dismay! Without warning, I suddenly found myself lying on the floor, the room whirling around me.

Our instructor quickly untangled my feet, helped me stand, and proceeded to use me as a teaching opportunity. She explained the importance of a dancer picking a focal point and keeping their eyes on it instead of trying to see everything around them as they spin. Fixed focus results in better balance and control of the direction the dancer is moving she told us. As you might have guessed by now, my dancing career was alas, short lived.

Life has become somewhat like my ballet lesson of long ago, hasn’t it?  We’ve been moving this way and that, smoothly through our days, when without warning, everything began spinning out of control and now we find ourselves floored at what’s happening. I feel certain I’m not alone when I tell you that my mind has been whirling and twirling: “COVID-19.” “Social distancing.” “Stay at home order.” “Essential services.” What dismay!

We want to know what will happen tomorrow, next month, with our bank accounts, with our temperatures, with our loved ones, and our neighbors. The oh-no’s and what-ifs fill our minds. Taking it all in is dizzying and can easily put us into a tailspin!

Thankfully, we have an “Instructor” who will untangle our thoughts and help us stand in this, and in any challenging time. His Word teaches us that to finish the race (or the dance) we must stop trying to envision everything that might happen because it only serves to trip us up:

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NLT)

I’m reminded in this uncertain time, that to perform at our best, we must choose Jesus as our focal point, keeping our eyes securely on Him and trusting that He’s in control of the direction we’re moving. Of course, the unknowns, concerns, and questions of the changing world around us continue to upset our balance but we’re not doing a solo. He is with us and He cares. So, whether we find ourselves crawling, walking, or running, through these next days and weeks, let’s remember to fix our sight on things above. It won’t make everything else disappear but it WILL help keep us from spinning out of control.

I am tardy is joining with the skilled writers at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com where the prompt on Friday was “Tomorrow”. Well I kept putting off till tomorrow and am only finishing now on Monday. I’m looking forward to reading others’ ideas on tomorrow. I know you’d enjoy it too. As always, thank you for being here!

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