What are You Watching?

 "Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete." Hebrews 12:1-2a CEV

Sports has never been my strong suit, but we have some good athletes in our family. While watching our kids (and grandkids) over the years I did learn one thing - to "keep your eye on the ball". Whether you're playing ping pong, golf, soccer, football, basketball... whatever it is, it is imperative that you keep your eye on the ball. If you become distracted while playing (for example, by an airplane flying overhead, by someone coughing or heckling), you can lose your momentum and focus. You tend to go in the direction you are looking. If your focus is on your circumstances, that's not going to get you very far. 

I once heard my Dad (a pastor) say he asked a guy how he was doing, and the guy said, "Pretty good under the circumstances", to which my Dad replied, "Well, what are you doing under there?"

The Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on God - not on our circumstances. Circumstances change, but God does not. (Malachi 3:6)