What Wrecks Us
Once, during a visit to Stockholm, Sweden, I took two of my sons to a golf course an hour north of the city. Getting there was not easy without a car. It involved riding a train and a bus, then walking two miles through rural countryside.
The days were long in the northern hemisphere that time of year, so despite the late hour after the round, it was still light as we made our way back to the bus stop. The long walk was peaceful and quiet; we admired fields full of flowers and a beautiful church set among a stand of trees. But aside from flocks of sheep, there were no other signs of life. Or at least, not until we crossed the only intersection where two country roads met. That is when we heard the approaching roar of a single motorcycle.
As it crested the hill behind us, we turned to watch man and machine race past, obviously going well over the posted limit. He seemed as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Turning away from the road, he stared at us as he passed, craning his neck. I imagine our bright clothing and golf bags were an odd sight in the middle of that remote place.
Unfortunately, however, his lingering gaze caused him to lose control of the motorcycle.
In what felt like slow motion, he began to roll. The bike and rider tumbled together, on and on, a sickening spectacle, until finally coming to rest, the man bleeding on the road and his motorcycle burning in a nearby field.
Miraculously, the man lived. As we ran toward him, he managed to get up, staggering toward us in shock. To this day, I do not know if the rider fully recovered from his significant injuries.
But one thing I do know: if he had kept his eyes on the road, he would not have lost control. By allowing his attention to remain on us for so long, he lost sight of the most important thing – the road.
And oh, how I can relate. While I have no trouble focusing on the road while driving, my gaze is often distracted when it comes to my spiritual journey. People need care, meals require preparation, and someone has to pay the bills. Plus, the world is full of shiny objects clamoring to be noticed. Sometimes, their attraction is hard to resist. Yet, it is never the caring or noticing that wrecks me – it is making anything other than God the center of my vision. Doing so turns even good things into idols that replace him, redirecting my thoughts, emotions, and actions away from him. Before I know it, I’m wrecked.
Peter the disciple learned what it means to be wrecked by distraction when he walked on water. He was doing fine, with complete focus on Jesus, until he allowed his attention to be captured by the wind. The moment he did, he grew afraid. Taking his eyes off Christ caused him to sink. Peter would have drowned had he not cried out to Jesus to save him.
Spiritual crashes often show up as a kind of sinking, whether into negative emotions, relational conflict, exhaustion, or even self-sufficiency. The more we divert attention from God, the farther we spin away from him, spiraling toward trouble.
It is easy to believe that distractions are the cause of spin-outs. But the actual cause is failing to keep our hearts' eyes on Christ as we travel. When we look away from him, our equilibrium shifts along with our focus. Our bodies follow our hearts, until suddenly, we find ourselves rolling and tumbling, out of control, in pain, and even hurting others.
In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer explains that, in the Bible, "looking" and "believing" are the same thing. He concludes, "Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God." The Bible also urges us to fix our eyes always on Christ. The only way to not be wrecked by the hardships, suffering, and difficult people we encounter in life is by looking straight ahead to the God who made us, sustains us, and loves us. And yet, how we struggle to constantly rest our hearts and minds on him.
But if we practice and learn how to train our vision on Christ, he equips us to navigate the needs and demands of people and events, even the most unexpected, life-changing ones. Gazing steadily at him is the secret to managing surprises, temptations, troubles, responsibilities, and relationships.
Though we will never be able to fully control what appears along the road to heaven or how alluring or distracting those things will be, by the grace of God, we can decide where to look. In keeping our eyes always on him, we will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8).
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