“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”Proverbs 4:25
Riding mowers changed the game when it comes to mowing the lawn. If your yard is big enough to justify a riding mower, then you probably enjoy the experience. I guess it’s a guy thing, but for me I find being outdoors on a riding mower relaxing and enjoyable, especially when there’s a decent amount of yard to be mowed. A church I pastored years ago had some 10 acres of land, and even with a second mower going, it took quite a while to get it all done, but I usually enjoyed it and looked forward to it.
When it comes to mowing, you especially want to keep the rows straight. It just makes the yard look a lot better when the lines are straight, and for large yards that can be a challenge. I remember trying really hard to keep the rows straight when cutting that large acreage, and it seemed no matter how hard I tried, I would inevitably look back to see them crooked. Finally, I had an idea: find something at the end of the row to look at. Sometimes it was a tree, or a fence post I could fix my gaze to, and it actually worked. Having something to aim toward helped me keep the mower straight and I could look back with a simple feeling of pride and accomplishment at that freshly cut lawn with straight rows. I guess sometimes it just doesn’t take a lot for us guys to feel accomplished.
Life can be the same way. With so many things out there vying for our attention, we have to find somewhere to keep our focus. Whether it’s the influences of the world around us, thoughts of guilt, condemnation, or feelings of inadequacy, the truth is, just like mowing, we’ve got to fix our eyes on something to help keep us straight.
Paul gives us a remedy in Romans 8. Romans 8:39 says, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Paul describes this love as a love that will never let us down, never leave us, and a love that we can never be separated from regardless of the circumstance.
Today, fix your eyes on His love for you and rest in knowing that as you do, He’ll make everything straight.