Lift Your Eyes...

When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? Do you ever have those mornings where you wake up early, lay in bed staring at the ceiling, and wonder how you are going to get everything done? I know the feeling. I have experienced far too many days where I offer but a passing glance at God in the morning, hit the ground running, and leave him in the dust. Those are the days where I typically end up frustrated, confused, or disappointed with the results.

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I have learned that there is a better way to live. God has consistently challenged me in the area of living day to day and moment to moment with more of an awareness of him. Stop and think about how amazing it is that the God who paints the sunset in the western sky is with you—even better, within you.

It’s so easy to forget this simple truth. How quickly I am tempted to treat God as if he’s really sleeping on the job. I act as if I am a cave in which he hibernates rather than a temple in which he lives. And because he is alive—within us as believers of Christ—isn’t it foolish to ignore him or to neglect to seek his counsel with the details of life? 

It’s been humorous lately to see how many times I’ve “randomly” opened my Bible to the exact same page, 341. In my Bible, page 341 is the home of Psalm 121, a beautiful and comforting promise of God.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

We can get buried in the pressures of life if we’re not careful. At the same time, God is encouraging us to lift our eyes and shift our attention to him. In doing so, we’ll open the door for the most powerful being in the Universe to act on our behalf. He will take up our cause and prove himself capable and faithful.

I have the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, Colorado Springs. We’re planted at the base of Pikes Peak with the Rocky Mountains in our backyard. Shortly after moving to Colorado, I took advantage of the geographic blessing by going for a hike at Garden of the Gods. I eventually ended up perched on a rock with a stunning view of the sun setting behind Pikes Peak. It was unlike anything I had seen before (we didn’t have views like this in Western Kansas). A few minutes later, a pesky little fly started to buzz around my head. I started paying attention to this fly, and as it landed next to me, the Lord spoke something that I still think about often, “This is what you do, son. You take your eyes off the amazing view I’m giving you and you focus on things that don’t really matter.” He nailed me. It was true. Not only was I missing the sunset over the mountains because I was watching a fly sit on a rock, but I was doing this in life as well. I was giving my attention to the wrong things—caught up in anxiety and worry, thus missing everything God wanted to show me. It was his way of saying, “Lift your eyes to the mountains.” Literally. 

The view has been much better.