Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “Eyes Up” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about where we put our focus.
It’s way too easy to get distracted by the things that are right in front of us. In “Eyes Up,” I talk about a time when I almost got hit in the face with a tree branch. It reminded me that I should keep my eyes off of the ground and pay attention to where I am headed. That simple lesson allowed me to keep my smile intact and to see the beauty I was missing on the trail.
The problem was that it’s so easy to get focused on what our brain perceives as danger. We are hard-wired this way. Long ago, physical survival was extremely difficult. Threats of starvation, freezing, drinking the wrong water, eating the wrong berries, or getting mauled by saber-toothed tigers were very real possibilities. Because of all of this, fight or flight was the only way to live. Today, these threats, for the most part, have been lessened or completely eliminated, (R.I.P. saber-toothed tigers.) But, our brains are still trying to protect us as if that tiger is in the back seat of your minivan just waiting for you to lower your guard. If there are no tigers lurking behind a tree, our brains use that energy to find other so-called “dangers” and let us know that we’re going to die if said danger happens.
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On that trail, the dangers my brain was hyper-focused on were roots, rocks, and snakes. My brain told me that if I wasn’t paying attention, one of those three things was going to take me out. It said that I was probably going to trip on a root and go careening down the mountain. If that didn’t happen, it would be a rock. I was going to step on a rock just the wrong way, roll my ankle, and be stuck on this trail for days waiting on someone to give me a piggyback ride to the exit. And if I got lucky enough to avoid both of those things, I was going to disturb a snake resulting in my immediate death. Spoiler alert, none of those things happened.
Thankfully, I learned that lesson early in the hike. I learned to keep my eyes up and see the beauty that was unfolding in front of me. I learned to trust the team that was with me as we made our way through the trail. And I learned that allowing the fight or flight part of our brain to write our stories is a surefire way to live a really boring story.
One of my favorite books of the Bible is the book of Joshua. After Moses dies, Joshua becomes the new leader of the nation of Israel. It is time for them to enter the Promised Land and the people are a bit scared. Honestly, they were terrified. They were looking across the river at some very real danger. From an earthly perspective, they were outmatched by the people on the other side. Their fight of flight systems were screaming, “RUN!” That’s when God shows up with these words:
“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
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The people of Israel needed to be reminded of what I needed to know on that trail. Keep your eyes up. Stop focusing on the things that are down there and instead, look up here. Focus on who God is, what He has done, what He has promised, and what He has called you to. There are plenty of distractions that our brain will label as danger. But if God called you to it, He will bring you through it. This nation was facing massive armies and fortified cities yet God told them to move forward with boldness and eventually, they did. We too often fold because we’re afraid of internet trolls, disapproval from people we barely know and probably don’t even like, or a little bit of pain along the way. But what if God is telling you today to be strong and courageous? What if He is calling you forward to take new land and promising to be with you every step of the way? What if He has a promise for you just on the other side of that fear and all you have to do is take a step forward?
That day on the trail, my brain was in full fear mode. Honestly, it would have been easy to turn back, call it a day, and go home to sleep in my comfortable bed. But I didn’t, because the guys on the team would have never let me, and my car was at the other end of the trail. But pushing through those difficult moments is what allowed me to get to the top of the mountain. The view up there was stunning. I would have missed the mountaintop if I had given up or let fear tell me it was too dangerous.
If you feel like you’re in an uphill battle, like there is danger around every corner, or like there is no way you’ll make it through this season, you’re not alone. Know that you are climbing, the mountaintop is coming, and the view from up there is worth the struggle down here. All you have to do is keep your eyes up, be strong and courageous, and know that God is with you wherever you go.
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