Focus
Illustration★★★★In May 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes. The following month, Australian John Landy shaved another 1.4 seconds off his record. A showdown was inevitable, and in August, the two athletes raced in Vancouver, Canada. By the time they got to the last lap, Bannister and Landy were well in front of the other runners, with Landy in the lead.
It seemed certain he would win. But as he approached the finish line, Landy could not help wondering how close behind Bannister was.
His need to know was so strong that he couldn’t resist the temptation to look over his shoulder. And just as he did, he lost his stride. At that point, Bannister took the lead and won the race. Later, Landy said, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won the race.”
When you focus on something, peripheral vision is blurred. Focus on Jesus so that everything else in your peripheral vision is blurred by comparison. One morning, a six-year-old girl missed her school bus. Being new to the neighbourhood, her father agreed to drive her to school as long as she gave him directions.
They spent twenty minutes going round in circles, but finally arrived at the school, which was only a few blocks away from their home. “Why did you take us all over the place when your school is so close to home?” asked her exasperated father.
“Because this is the way the school bus goes,” she replied. “I don’t know any other way.” 117
The point
A runner who lost a race by glancing back at his rival, and a girl who could only find her way to school by tracing the bus's usual route, both illustrate how keeping focus determines the outcome -- and urge keeping one's eyes fixed on Jesus.