Looking for Living

I worked at a camp during one of my high school summers. My job was to wash dishes in the kitchen and to mow lawns when the dishes were done. I wasn’t a very experienced “lawn-mower.” In the suburbia I grew up in our homes had only small patches of grass in front of the houses and (now this will really date me) we had a non-power rotary push mower! At the camp I used a power mower and cut the grass of the baseball field. The camp director wanted straight lines in the grass. I tried my best, looking carefully at the end of the mower as I went, but my lines were crooked to say the least. Then the director gave me advice that changed my lawn mowing life. He said, “If you want to mow a straight line across a field, pick out a spot in the distance, keep your eyes on it and walk toward it.” I followed his advice and he was right. My lines were straight.

In living the Christian life we are instructed to “fix your thoughts on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1) and run the race of life “looking unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:3). Where we focus is critical if we are going to live life effectively and enjoyably as a follower of Jesus Christ. We need to look carefully at the life He lived because He ran the race of earthly life - the same journey we are in with all of its difficulties - and He finished well. A clear view of Jesus, a deepening understanding of how He navigated the journey of earthly life in dependence upon and obedience to the Father’s will helps us to avoid falling for the deceitfulness of sin.

I think of the words of Jesus recorded in John 15. “Abide in me” because “without me you can do nothing.” We must nurture our relationship with Christ, cultivate intimacy, draw close to Him through hearing and knowing His word and following His instructions for living as His follower.

Where are you looking today? What is your focus? To whom are you looking in order to live a “straight line” for the glory of God, your personal growth and the good of others?