Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

What a lovely May day it was. As I gazed out my back window, mesmerized by the deep blues of the hydrangeas and the emerging pinks and reds of the roses, a couple of horn-rimmed eyeballs caught my attention. What in the world was an owl doing in my pecan? Had he found the perfect place to nest? Or perhaps there was prey in my yard that I could not see?

I had to do a little research to discover why the eyesight of an owl is so incredible. Rods for one—their eyes are packed with rods so they can easily spy a mouse or other critter in the underbrush. And although their eyes are in a fixed position—ours move from side to side—their necks rotate 270 degrees. The better to see you with my dear!   

The writer of Hebrews is specific about the importance of our spiritual eyesight. It’s not those cheering us on from the sidelines that we are to fix our eyes on. It’s Jesus. His eyes were always on the Father; hence, His faith was impeccable*. From His desert temptations to Gethsemane’s agony He looked to God for the strength to endure, even the cross. Eyes on Jesus and we’ll be able to run the race marked out for us with the perseverance it requires (12:1).

See Him. There He sits, at the right hand of the throne of God. That’s where you and I are running towards.

The pecan tree is gone, capsized by an early June storm. The owl left—he had no place to hunt or nest. And I must move my physical eyes to the right as I lost my right peripheral vision this year. But the good news is that my spiritual eyes can still be fixed on Jesus!  

Nancy P

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted.

*impeccable—"not liable (susceptible) to sin”, Oxford dictionary