When I was a child, ballet dancers’ turns — with marvelous names like ‘fouetté’ and ‘pirouette’ — seemed magical. At some point I learned that a technique, not magic, made these amazing feats possible. Dancers fix their gaze on a single point while their bodies turn.
Insight: Ballet Glossary – Spotting
While I only dabbled in ballet, that image has stuck with me in my spiritual walk. As followers of Christ, we are told to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus:
.…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1b-2
The disciples are told to serve Jesus faithfully even in the worst circumstances. In Matthew 24, He describes a landscape of total devastation that will precede His return. It’s reminiscent of the destructive forces symbolized by the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Religious deception, political upheavals, wars, violent conflict, famines, economic hardship, disease, epidemics, pandemics and death. These are the most terrifying forces humans can encounter, yet he tells them to continue to serve faithfully:
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Matthew 24:45-47
What does this mean for believers when circumstances upend, leaving us disoriented and gasping for breath? Last week a member of the devotional team wondered aloud how she could comfort a friend — both her friend and her husband had been abruptly dismissed from federal jobs. Political upheaval and economic hardship had fallen on them suddenly. Would the message that God remains sovereign be an encouragement or cold comfort? In my life, overwhelmingly terrible events make me focus more on Jesus -– the only other choice seems to be despair. Everyone reacts differently to hard times; we need to be sensitive and respond with empathy when others are going through difficult times. As Romans 12:15 reminds us:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Whatever our circumstances or the circumstances of those we know, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, as best we are able, and remember that He can be trusted.
by Sherry the Brave!!
