Have you ever caught yourself staring into space? Mind empty, a million miles away, and oblivious to everything around you? Maybe you were captivated by a memory or an object you saw; perhaps you were deep in thought, but for whatever reason, you found yourself momentarily stuck.
We stare at an object, wondering how it works or what it is. Or we may even be staring at our reflection, amazed at how we've aged, our uneven eyes, or our crooked nose.
And sometimes, our staring isn't done with our eyes; it is the activity of our heart and mind, staring at a situation, bewildered, confused, and wondering how we got here and how things will work out.
We all stare at times. We fix our eyes on someone or something with a vacant look and seem momentarily captivated. People around us ask, "What are you staring at?" We might say, "Oh, nothing." Or we could explain what caught our attention.
There is nothing wrong with staring, but I wanted to challenge you today to ask yourself, "What are you staring at?" Because life can be distracting. It can cause us to have those momentary moments of fixation as we try to take in everything happening so quickly around us.
But if we fixate on the world's events and keep our gaze there, we miss out on many better things. If we stare into the mirror and look only at ourselves, we grow self-focused and vain. If we stare at our problems, they appear larger than they are. So, our gaze, the focus of our heart and mind, is essential.
God calls us to fix our gaze on Him, not swayed by distractions but with unwavering focus. Getting sidetracked only hinders our progress.
David wrote, "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord" (Psalm 25:15). "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from when cometh my help: (Psalm 121:1). "But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord; in thee is my trust." Solomon wrote, "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee." (Proverbs 4:25).
If anything captivates our thoughts or fixates our hearts, let it be our Lord. Let's focus on reflecting Christ, seeing and praying for the lost, and serving others with love and compassion. Keeping our hope and gaze firmly fixed on God and watching for the Lord's return will move us forward in faith and hope. Then, when someone asks us what we are staring at, we can point them to Christ.
