Keep Your Eyes On The Ball

As an avid sports person even though my body don’t cooperate as much these days, having my eyes on the ball is a must if being victorious is the mission. Why else would you play the game? Surely not for looks. If that was the reason, a lot of our sports heroes would be disqualified.

Soccer happens to be my sport of choice. It is the most watched sports universally even though being in the USA one would not think that way. In the game, keeping your eyes on the ball is crucial. You need to know where the ball is at all times. If not, your opponent will have a field day.

So it is in our lives. We must have a goal, a purpose, a mission and a passion for where we are headed. If we don’t have one, then we need to get one like yesterday or else our opponent will have a field day with us. Below I share three ways to keep your eyes on the ball.

Living without the above is no fun at all. Life becomes boring and mundane. I see too many of those people everyday. We need something – a ball, to keep our eyes on. It keeps you focused and reduces the chance of your opponent “scoring” on you.

Jesus kept his eyes on the ball even when the distractions of intimidation, work, people, etc could easily derail him. He was focused. He was pressing on no matter what situation he faced.

Here’s a brief summary of a small portion of his day. He (Jesus) went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always PRESSING on (keeping his eyes on the ball) toward Jerusalem. (Luke 13:22 NLT) No matter how filled his schedule was. No matter how great the needs of the people were. No matter how demanding his work was. None of those things, as important as they were, could keep him from focusing on his goal … Jerusalem.

What was the driving force behind this intensity and passion? I believe three lessons emerges from this small glimpse of his day.

He:

1. Knew where he was going and why he had to go there.
2. Remained focused; kept his eyes on the ball
3. Didn’t get caught up in anything that would keep him form going to Jerusalem

If we are going to get to our destination, we too must have at least the above three things in place.  Here are the questions for you:

1. Do you know where you are going and why?
2. Are you remaining focused on your destination; eyes on the ball?
3. Are you being distracted and if so, do you know by what?

You may be doing all three and if so, good for you. If not, why not start today. If you have other thoughts as to what you have found helpful, please take the time to share with us below.