"Rest Your Eyes"

We’d early rise, work hard till noon,

And then break for our dinner,

Mom would fill the table full,

And every one a grinner.

Dad, he’d lay upon the couch,

An arm across his face,

Said he’d give his eyes a rest,

Before the afternoon’s race.

Never would admit he slept,

For maybe fifteen minutes,

It wasn’t long he’s up and gone,

We’d jump and get right with it.

Work till can’t and sun goes down,

Supper table full again,

Shelling peas in an easy chair,

Before we all turned in.

My memory fills with many things,

Guess I cannot forget,

To take a break and rest your eyes,

I still remember yet.

When you stop and then consider,

So much our eyes will see,

Some are quite the blessing,

From others we should flee.

And maybe when exhausted,

We should give our eyes a rest,

Then maybe when we open them,

We’d rise and pass the test.

Let nothing worthless or unclean,

Come before your eyes,

Keep looking unto Jesus,

And avoid the devil’s lies.

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” (Hebrews 12:2, NAS)

When running the Christian race focus is required and distractions are plentiful. To spiritually fix one’s eyes on Jesus is the proactive response to God’s grace and the leadership of the Spirit. This is not just about avoiding tempting distractions. It’s about keeping the reality of Jesus foremost in our thinking and decision-making process. It’s asking “what would Jesus do?” on steroids, and making sure that our lives revolve around His presence and purpose. Giving our attention a rest from everything else is imperative so that we may refocus on what matters most.

Lord, help us to stay attentive to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Cody Witham, used by permission. Thanks, Cody, and God bless yuo.