Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. -Proverbs 4:25 NLT
Keeping our eyes fixed forward and on what’s in front, not behind, is what is best for us. What happens when we are driving and look away from the road too long? We veer. What happens when we are walking on the sidewalk and we close our eyes? We stumble. What happens when we are riding a bike and look away distracted? We crash to the ground, but hopefully we were wearing a helmet. There is a reason we are told to look straight ahead and not to the past, behind us, or all around to the sides, staring at what everyone else is doing. Looking anywhere other than where we are going and who we are going there with is a recipe for heartache and pain. Looking back at what was or could have been robs us of what we have in the future. And looking at what everyone else is doing side to side kills our joy with comparison.
God has given us a clear plan to freedom, joy, and peace if we will just follow it by looking to Him. In the world, it is almost impossible to not look at others and see what they have and what they are doing, but we don’t know the full picture, we just see brief snapshots. We don’t know their circumstances or what they privately deal with. We can only know our own story, and with Jesus we can know that looking to Him will give us nothing but freedom, contentment, and peace. We can be sure of our future and our place in this world. We can know we are right where we are supposed to be and assured in each new day that comes. We may encounter confusing or even painful situations along the way, but as long as our eyes are fixed on Him and up ahead to the future with Him, we can know He will give us everything we are meant to have.
While seeing what others around us are doing is inevitable, we don’t have to fixate on it. We can see and celebrate others, while still having our eyes locked on the One who will give us more than we will ever know. So, look to Him, He holds the plan for us, He knows our days, desires, hopes, and needs. And trust that you will always be right where you need to be as long as your focus is fixed on Him.
