Where are you focused

What gets our attention determines our direction and ultimately, our destination. I remember learning to drive and my dad would always say “keep your eyes focused on the road ahead of you.” He would always warn me and you will steer towards the things that have your attention.  Which is why he told me not to focus on the oncoming cars. When we do this, we will drift to the center lane because that’s what we are focusing on. We all know this is not a good thing and we could end up in getting in a wreck. This applies in life also. If we focus on things that are to the right and left of us we seem to drift in that direction. For reasons I can’t explain, unhealthy distractions are generally to out left and to the right, rather than straight ahead. Think about this verse out of Mathew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes our good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
Have you ever been camping and used a lantern, you know the drill: you walk with the lantern in front of you as you walk down the path you’re on. You don’t hold it to the side. If you do, you will follow the light and eventually you will be off the path you were supposed be on.  The next thing you know your lost and going down the wrong path.  So, think about what Jesus is saying in this verse, “Your eye” - what you see, gaze, and pay attention to is like the lantern of your entire life. It lights and leads your way. As your body follows a light in the dark, so your life follows what your eye focuses on. If your eyes are focused on good things, your body will be led in a good direction. But remember there is a second part and that is if your eyes are focusing on things that are bad then your body will follow in a dark direction.
If you have watched people run track they run with their heads up and our focused what’s in front of them. They don’t look to the right or left because they know if they do, they will drift out of their lane. Swimmers do the same. In Proverbs 4:25 it says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
The writer of Proverbs is advising his son to take the straight and safe path. Don’t get distracted. Don’t get detoured. Keep your eyes straight and don’t let your feet run after evil. The analogy to running or swimming is clear.
In our spiritual walk with the Lord we must also prepare and be safe. There are always things to distract you and keep you from finishing well. Keep your eyes straight. “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).