Don't look at the wall!

I have been reading a great book by Joni Eareckson Tada entitled A Place for Healing. Joni had a diving accident as a teenager and has been paralyzed for over 40 years! Her faith is amazing! I have learned much from her trust in the Lord through all these years. She asked a race car driver friend to explain how they keep from running into the wall as they take the turns at such high rates of speed. As he was describing the danger, he said, "Guys in their cars get in a spin, get bumped, and they see that wall coming at them. But I'll tell you one thing they don't do, Joni. They don't look at that wall! Their natural instincts tell them to, but their training tells them to keep their eyes on the track and steer out of that spin. You see, if they look at the wall, they'll freeze. Your body just reacts; it can't help it. But if you look down the speedway and steer toward that open space, all your nerve endings are concentrating on that, not on bracing for an impact."

Joni goes on to say, "That's the way we are in our human nature. We fix our eyes on the trial that looms immediately before us, allowing ourselves to become gripped with fear. We say to ourselves, This is impossible! I'll never get through this. I'll never find a way through. I'll never recover. I'd better brace for an impact, because it's going to be a hard, hard hit! AHHHH...But after listening to Dan and his race car wisdom, I realize that the key is to take your eyes off the wall and start concentrating on the future and its opportunities (steer for the open space!), rather than on the present dilemmas that freeze us into impotence."

What a powerful message! It reminded me to keep my eyes on Jesus, not on the walls in my life! There are days when I want to turn inward and keep thinking about the sadness of losing Pete, but God is constantly reminding me to turn upward and concentrate on Him.

"Fix your eyes on Jesus" Hebrews 12:2