Keeping Our Eyes Fixed
Key Thought | Whatever captures your gaze will shape your race. Fix your eyes on Jesus, and everything else finds its proper place.
Key Scripture | “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” —Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV
This passage has carried deep personal meaning for me, but this morning as I prayed, the Holy Spirit highlighted the words “looking to Jesus.” The phrase literally means: to fix your gaze upon, to look with intention, focus, and steadiness.
The picture the Holy Spirit brought to mind was that of a racehorse wearing “blinkers,” sometimes even called “winners.” (If you’re impressed with my horse knowledge, you should be!) Blinkers keep a racehorse focused on what’s ahead instead of what’s happening beside them. They protect the runner from unnecessary distractions.
As believers, we are called to do the same: to fix our eyes on Jesus and refuse to be pulled off-course by the countless things that compete for our attention. So often the problem isn’t that God isn’t present; it’s that we’re spiritually distracted. Spiritual ADHD, you might say. It’s an accurate description of my walk at times. I have so many open doors for distraction: phones, social media, constant news, and more. None of these things are inherently bad, but when unregulated, they become heavy, noisy distractions that dull our focus on Him.
But perhaps the greatest distraction is the distraction of offense and bitterness. By definition, they pull our eyes downward, toward people, rather than upward toward Jesus. They are “eye-droppers.” If you’re struggling with forgiveness, it often means your eyes are on the wrong person.
You may say, “Aaron, you have no idea what they did.” You’re right; I don’t. And the pain may be very real. Maybe you even have a right to be offended. But the moment bitterness and resentment take root, they become a weight that slows our pursuit of Jesus. They drag our gaze away from the One who heals, restores, and sustains.
I don’t know who this is for, but I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to write it: “Don’t drop your eyes. Keep them fixed on Jesus.”
One more thing: when fear or anxiety rises in my life, it’s usually a sign that somewhere along the way, my eyes have drifted. They’re no longer fixed on Him.
Today, reset your gaze. Lift your eyes. Let Jesus capture your attention again. And run the race He has set before you with focus, endurance, and eyes fixed on the One who ran it first.
Prayer | Jesus, teach me to fix my eyes on You. Help me lay aside every weight, distraction, and hurt that pulls my gaze away. Guard my heart from offense, bitterness, and fear. Steady my focus and strengthen my endurance as I run the race You’ve set before me. Amen.
Reflection
Key Scripture | “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” —Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV
This passage has carried deep personal meaning for me, but this morning as I prayed, the Holy Spirit highlighted the words “looking to Jesus.” The phrase literally means: to fix your gaze upon, to look with intention, focus, and steadiness.
The picture the Holy Spirit brought to mind was that of a racehorse wearing “blinkers,” sometimes even called “winners.” (If you’re impressed with my horse knowledge, you should be!) Blinkers keep a racehorse focused on what’s ahead instead of what’s happening beside them. They protect the runner from unnecessary distractions.
As believers, we are called to do the same: to fix our eyes on Jesus and refuse to be pulled off-course by the countless things that compete for our attention. So often the problem isn’t that God isn’t present; it’s that we’re spiritually distracted. Spiritual ADHD, you might say. It’s an accurate description of my walk at times. I have so many open doors for distraction: phones, social media, constant news, and more. None of these things are inherently bad, but when unregulated, they become heavy, noisy distractions that dull our focus on Him.
But perhaps the greatest distraction is the distraction of offense and bitterness. By definition, they pull our eyes downward, toward people, rather than upward toward Jesus. They are “eye-droppers.” If you’re struggling with forgiveness, it often means your eyes are on the wrong person.
You may say, “Aaron, you have no idea what they did.” You’re right; I don’t. And the pain may be very real. Maybe you even have a right to be offended. But the moment bitterness and resentment take root, they become a weight that slows our pursuit of Jesus. They drag our gaze away from the One who heals, restores, and sustains.
I don’t know who this is for, but I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to write it: “Don’t drop your eyes. Keep them fixed on Jesus.”
One more thing: when fear or anxiety rises in my life, it’s usually a sign that somewhere along the way, my eyes have drifted. They’re no longer fixed on Him.
Today, reset your gaze. Lift your eyes. Let Jesus capture your attention again. And run the race He has set before you with focus, endurance, and eyes fixed on the One who ran it first.
Prayer | Jesus, teach me to fix my eyes on You. Help me lay aside every weight, distraction, and hurt that pulls my gaze away. Guard my heart from offense, bitterness, and fear. Steady my focus and strengthen my endurance as I run the race You’ve set before me. Amen.
Reflection
- What distractions tend to pull your eyes away from Jesus most often?
- Is there any bitterness, offense, or fear that has lowered your gaze? What would it look like to fix your eyes on Him again?
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