“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
We were sitting on the front porch enjoying playing with chalk. Normal requests for racecars and butterflies had filled our front porch with vibrant expression. My two small preschoolers were covered in colorful dust and their knees told the story of a morning of creativity.
My son was seated across from me and my daughter sat beside me “helping” me to add a little flavor to the otherwise average sports car drawing. “Look momma! Sissy gave my car super powers!” “Oh woah, buddy! That’s so cool, sissy! Look how neat our car looks now!”
Suddenly, the Oklahoma wind shifted. A large patio chair was positioned just perfectly to catch the gust and came barreling toward us.
I didn’t think. I just threw myself toward the chair and over my son covering him and my daughter while simultaneously pushing the chair away.
My son hadn’t seen the chair take flight since it had come from behind. He only saw me fly toward and cover him. He thought it was the silliest thing in the world.
My daughter, who was sitting next to me, however, saw all of it… the sudden wind change that caused the chair to rumble and then turn as though itself animated and come flying toward us. It didn’t matter that I had covered her. She was terrified of what she didn’t understand and what she had experienced. She hopped up with tears in her eyes, ran inside the house and peeked at me through the window.
Perspective is everything isn’t it?
The chair didn’t come at my daughter any more than it came at my son, but she lived that moment differently. She will always remember that moment differently than my son even though the events were the same. The difference between my son and daughter this morning was focus.
I am reminded of a story in Scripture found in Matthew 14. Jesus’s friends were instructed to take a boat to the other side of a lake. In the middle of the night, while these men are still on their voyage, a figure comes toward them. Peter, always the audacious one of these disciples, recognizes this person as Jesus and shouts out, “Lord, if it’s you… tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” Jesus said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
It is so easy to think, “Come on, Peter! Why did you take your eyes off of Jesus and focus on the things that could harm you while you were in the presence of the only one who could save you?!”
When, really, we do the same thing ourselves. That pile of bills is sure getting bigger. That doctor’s report hasn’t come back yet. We still need to decide what to do with _____. What am I going to do about ______.
All while Jesus is whispering, “Just look me in the eyes. I’ve got this. I see it all too. As a matter of fact, I see the test results. I know exactly where the money for the bills is coming from. I know what you will do about ___. I have a perfect plan for what you need to decide on _____. Just keep your eyes on me. I am enough.”
I opened the door to my house and gently called my daughter back out onto the front porch.
“Sweet girl, mommy wasn’t going to let that chair get you. I covered you didn’t I? You’re okay. See? Mommy moved the chair and it won’t come at us again. I am right here.”
I believe that peace comes from perspective. We often cannot change our circumstances, but we can change our focus. We can look into the eyes of the One who made us and say, “I know that whatever comes my way, you’ve got me covered, and I would rather be here in these circumstances with you, than anywhere else on my own.”
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
