WHAT DO YOU SEE?

 AUGUST 5, 2022

Hebrews 12:2 


Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.



A magnificent painting was hanging in an art gallery. Everyone who saw it was captivated by its beauty. However, there was one man who couldn’t see the beauty of the painting or the talent of the painter. All he could see was the tiny flaw in the frame that surrounded the painting. The defect was so small that the average person wouldn’t have even noticed it, but to this man it overshadowed everything. He totally missed the intended joy and beauty from the piece of art because of his focus on that minor little flaw.

That little story caused me to wonder how often something like that happens to us. Is it possible that in life, we also often miss what was intended to bring us joy and an experience of beauty, because we get distracted and focus on the wrong thing? Yes, we do, don’t we? When we fixate on what’s wrong and pay no attention to what’s right, we do miss so much. We are seeing this more and more in our culture where something minute or miniscule gets so much focus that we can miss the positive, the joy and beauty that surrounds. This happens in our faith walk too. Problems come and go, but in between, there are these sightings of truth revealed to bring us closer to God.

I believe that experiences in life typically have elements of beauty or redemption. So why let the imperfections we encounter take our minds off what really matters? When we see everything framed in the beauty of the God’s love, it outshines all flaws or imperfections. When we put our focus on God and His loving purposes, the journey becomes gratifying and joyful. So, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, just as Hebrews 12 invites us.