Fix Your Eyes

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3


Paralyzed
Helen sighed. “Remember what I told you about the American creed. We can’t focus on everything that’s wrong with the world that we can’t fix, everything we failed to do right. You’d be paralyzed with indecision and do nothing worthwhile with your life. That would be a shame, Jess. A waste. The good will outweigh the bad. You have so much yet to accomplish.” Fatal Distraction, Diane Capri

Not Easy
If he said no, then nothing he'd ever done for her would matter. Those were just little things. Easy things. If it was easy for him, if it didn't take something from him, then it didn't matter. Not really. This mattered.
(After years of being generous to this woman, he is now being asked to sign power of attorney thereby taking custody for a troubled teen girl as her caretaker, her grandmother lies dying of cancer) The Gray And Guilty Sea by Scott William Carter.





I keep a list of things that for one reason or another, seem to ‘say’ something to me as I search for God dwelling in me. Sometimes, when I review these things, they have lost the ability to inspire.  Sometimes, it’s a stronger call and sometimes, the original inspiration falls away for a new one.

Read months apart, these two quotes seemed to merge for one purpose. This was triggered when I heard someone say, “We can’t fix the world, but we’re not allowed to do hopeless.”

I recently discovered this truth; some of the challenge has been missing from daily toils. When I see a problem in my department, I am reasonably certain I can determine cause and required repair. That’s a good thing and yet I yearn for those days when discovering the why and the how intrigued me.

First thing yesterday morning, the monitor awoke and waited for the tap of fingers on the silent keyboard. I felt defeated before I began.  Oh yay.  Another day of clicking away fixing one account after another interrupted only by listening to the complaints of salespeople as they continue struggling with a system that has proven to be an impediment (in their minds) to progress.

It took a let’s-try-again-restart. It took a short walk around the parking lot to find a bit of release; an attitude adjustment, if you will.

Sitting down once again, I jumped in and just began doing what I’m supposed to do.  The more I did, the better I felt.

It’s that way in all we do, of course.

We have not been promised an easy life but we have been promised that we're not alone. Since this is true, there's no room for hopelessness.  We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed.

There are times when the action needed is boring.
There are times when the action demanded seems a waste of time.
There are times when the action requested creates turmoil and uncertainty.
There are times when the action required takes something from us - or so we imagine.

What if that boring undertaking provides the opportunity to serve in a way that brings someone peace and comfort?

What if that wasteful exercise lays the yet-to-be-imagined groundwork for changing lives?

What if our conviction that this decision will take something from us actually turns out to be an unimaginable gift instead?

As I 'fix my eyes on Jesus', I pray that everything I do will be for the Kingdom of God.