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. Besides a flock 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 speed 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 in what felt like slow motion, a sickening spectacle, before finally coming to rest. The man lay bleeding on the road as his motorcycle burned in a nearby field.
Miraculously, the rider survived. As we ran toward him, he managed to stand up, staggering toward us in shock. To this day, I do not know whether he 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. Losing sight of the most important thing for so long wrecked him.
I can relate. Although I do not struggle to focus on the road while driving, my gaze is often distracted when it comes to my spiritual journey. The world is full of shiny objects clamoring to be noticed, difficult problems to be addressed, and countless people to love. It is only natural to see and be concerned about such earthly things. But what wrecks me is allowing any of them to become and remain my focal point.
When my attention is captivated by something or someone other than God, even good things threaten to derail me by redirecting my thoughts, emotions, and actions in the wrong direction. Before long, I am tumbling into problems.
The disciple Peter learned what it means to be wrecked by distraction when he walked on water. He was doing fine while his complete focus was on Jesus. But when Peter allowed the wind to capture his attention, he grew afraid. He began to sink as he took his eyes off Christ and would have drowned if he had not turned back to Jesus for rescue.
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 people God gave us to love and the tasks he gave us to do are the fabric of our lives, not the culprits in our spiritual waywardness. When we become wrecked by the things around us, it is because we have failed 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 urges us to fix our eyes always on Christ. The only way not to be wrecked by the hardships, suffering, and people we encounter 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! Training our vision on Christ is a lifelong learning process, the heart of sanctification. Gazing steadily at him is the secret to managing surprises, temptations, troubles, responsibilities, and relationships. And practicing how to bounce our eyes back to him the moment they stray is an exercise toward greater spiritual maturity.
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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