Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – Navigating the Devil’s Crack

“ . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12:2-3

Dear Kids,
It is easy to be disheartened when the pressures of life start closing in on us. The weight can be felt in our emotions and even in our physical body. The way to find freedom and release from paralyzing feelings often comes through the mind. The focus of our thoughts can change everything. Fix your eyes on Jesus and He will set you free.

A Team Building Activity

Last weekend Abigail attended a team building retreat to promote unity and leadership for this upcoming school year. When she returned she shared with me one of the group’s activities. The group’s leader took the participants to a location aptly named the “Devil’s Crack.” Each member was asked to squeeze his or her way into a space between some large boulders, shimmy along the narrow passageway, find a way to turn a tight corner, and finally navigate a long narrow tunnel only large enough for an average person to army crawl to the exit.

Before giving me the details of this harrowing experience Abigail prefaced her description by saying, “Mom, you would have hated this!” She knows me too well.

As she proceeded to describe in detail each phase of this escapade I could feel claustrophobic panic pressing in on my chest as I imagined myself hemmed into a small space.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Later as I considered the Devil’s Crack scenario a little further I realized I had felt that feeling in my chest before. But it wasn’t stone walls that created the feeling. The pressure came from a wide range of circumstances that closed in on me all at once. Many days of handling things can start to crush you until you feel constricted under the weight with no more power to go on. The more you look around at the circumstances you can’t control the more the panic sets in.

How do you handle this reaction to the pressures of life? When navigating the Devil’s Crack it is important to keep your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel. In life we must take our eyes off of our problems and fix them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He saw the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarded the shame, and is now seated at the place of honor beside God’s throne. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us to consider Jesus and all He endured, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.

How to Navigate the Devil’s Crack

I really hope I never have to navigate anything remotely like the Devil’s Crack. But if I ever do I am determined to force my mind to look ahead to the light at the end of the tunnel and not to focus on the close quarters of immoveable rock.

And when we start to experience claustrophobia brought on by life’s circumstances, the way to find freedom and release from the pressure is to fix your eyes on Jesus. He understands what we face. He has complete control over our life. And only He will guide us through the Devil’s Crack into the light and the open space at the other end.

Love,

Mama

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