Watch Where You're Going

Blog: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

I was a typical teenager. I couldn’t wait to turn sixteen and get my driver’s license. But somebody had to teach me how to drive. My father had no patience. I dreaded the thought of getting behind the wheel with him in tow. My mother was a nervous driver, and she was scared to teach me how to drive. Fortunately, my sweet patient Uncle Jimmy offered to teach me.

In our small town, there was an old two-lane bridge that had no shoulder at all. From almost anywhere else in town, this bridge had to be crossed to get to and from our house. I remember the first time I had to drive across that bridge. About half way across, I saw a semi coming toward me. I didn’t see how there was space for us to pass one another without colliding. It seemed huge, and we weren’t in a small vehicle either. I was driving my uncle’s brand new 1968 Cadillac. In ’68, most cars were about the size of a boat.

As the truck came near, I considered my choices. Would it be better to die from a head-on collision with a truck or to drown in the car after going head-long over the bridge into the river below? Then I heard my uncle’s gentle voice, “Keep your eyes on the road ahead. Where you look is where you will go.” I hadn’t realized it, but I was veering towards the truck. In my fear, I was watching it instead of the road. Per instruction, I looked ahead, and the car righted itself. We easily passed each other without incident.

My uncle did not intend to state a spiritual truth, but that’s exactly what he did. The apostle Peter, was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked down toward the roiling sea, he began to sink. My uncle was so right. We will go where our eyes take us, so we need to keep them focused on the Lord, or we may sink into dangerous waters or run head on into a powerful semi.