Compared to humans, dogs have remarkably poor visual acuity; what we see clearly from 80 feet away, a dog sees clearly only when it is 20 feet away.
So why, when we take our canine friends for a walk, do they so often bolt to the end of the leash attempting to chase some critter that, until that point, we have not seen?
A great deal has to do with the simple fact that the dog is looking.
While our eyes wander, his eyes are fixed on the bushes and brambles where such creatures hide.
As a result, the dog sees things that we do not.
In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul shows us that a similar dynamic can apply to us, as we seek to walk by faith.
When we lack focus in our walk with Christ, we may see only affliction, bewilderment, adversity, and problems.
Paul had a lot of hardships in his life, far more than any of us ever experienced.
But, he insisted that such hardships are not all there is to see when we face them.
Our eyes need to be properly trained so that we see far more.
We should focus on the power of God:
“we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (vs. 7).
If we trust in Christ’s power through us, then we can, like Paul, say:
“we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
This reality can only come into focus when:
“we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (vs.18).
When we have an eternal focus in life and not a temporal focus, then we can grow in our daily walk with Christ just as vs. 16 says:
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
Golf immortal Arnold Palmer recounted a lesson he learned from losing his focus.
“It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, ‘Congratulations.’ I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, and then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don’t forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it, and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven’t in the 30 years since.”
May we not lose our focus on Christ in us living His Life through us!
Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries