If you are already familiar with what spotting is, bear with
me as I summarize it for those that are unfamiliar with it. Dancers are taught
to find a focal point. As they are spinning, they maintain their focus on that
point as long as possible in the spin and then whip their head around quickly
to regain it as soon as possible after losing it. If they don’t focus on
anything and simply see everything whizzing by as they spin, they’d end up in a
heap on the floor, much as I would if I spin in my office chair too long and
attempt to walk. 😉
Also important is finding a focal point that doesn’t change.
Imagine if they were focusing on someone in the audience and then that person got
up to go to the bathroom or take a phone call. They have lost their focal point,
and dizziness, and perhaps a wobble or a fall are the result. The focus
maintained on that constant focal point allows them to spin to their heart’s
content without fear of dizziness or falling. I don’t know how long it takes to
master this ability, but it’s not instant. It requires lots of practice, lots
of failures, and then ultimately, mastery.
So why the lesson in spotting? Because it extrapolates out
well to the Christian life. There are times when life is metaphorically spinning
us around and around until we fall in a heap on the floor, nauseated and unable
to see straight, much less walk straight. It could be a medical diagnosis that
throws us into a spin. A struggling relationship. Financial difficulties. Extreme
grief. Loneliness. Mental illness. Rejection. A traumatic experience. The
trials that spin us around are different for every one of us, but the prescription
is the same. Spotting.
We need to keep our focus on truth. Jesus said in John 14:6 “I
am the way, the truth and the life…” When we are seeking out truth, we can find
it in the pages of the Bible. There’s comfort within its pages for whatever
spin we find ourselves in. Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (NIV) You cannot
keep your mind “stayed” or focused on God if you are not in His Word, seeking
His peace, His wisdom, His counsel.
It’s in His Word that we learn we are fully known and yet
fully loved. We learn that we do not have to pay the price for our sins,
because Jesus paid it for us. We learn that we do not have to fear the future, because
God can see it, and nothing will catch Him by surprise. We also learn that
those hard things we endure are not pointless. Romans 8:28 tells us that for the
born-again believer, ALL things work together for our good. Not all things are good,
believe me, I know this so much deeper than I ever wanted to. But there is a
purpose in EVERY single thing we go through, and none of it is to harm or hurt
us.
As a parent, we can understand this to a degree. Having to
hold a child for a shot and listen to their cries is heartbreaking. But we know
that what’s in that shot is for their good. If we, being flawed and sinful as
we are, love our children enough to allow them a moment of suffering because it’s
for their long-term benefit, how much more faithful is our loving God to ensure
that each moment of suffering is only what’s necessary to bring about a good,
intended result?
Ultimately, whether we experience peace in the midst of our
trials and storms boils down to our answer to a very basic question. Is God
good? The answer to this question determines our focal point. We can either focus
on His goodness, and trust that He is with us through whatever we’re facing, or
we can look on our trial and end up on the floor unable to focus on anything else. My prayer is that you would know He is good.
He can be trusted. He will NEVER leave you. He is our best source of comfort
through every situation. Keep your mind, your heart, and your eyes focused on
Him.
"In fierce
storms," said an old seaman, "we must do one thing; there is only one
way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there." This,
Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun
nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you; and then you can do but one thing;
there is only one way.
Reason cannot help
you; past experiences give you no light. Even prayer fetches no consolation.
Only a single course is left. You must put your soul in one position and keep
it there. You must stay upon the Lord; and come what may--winds, waves,
cross-seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers--no matter
what, you must lash yourself to the helm, and hold fast your confidence in
God's faithfulness, His covenant engagement, His everlasting love in Christ
Jesus. --Richard Fuller
