Don’t Watch The Wall

Don’t Watch the Wall

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

— Matthew 14:29 – 31

My friend Dan, a race car driver, was recently talking about a terrible accident in which a NASCAR legend was killed. The driver’s car had been in first place. Slightly bumped, it appeared he overcorrected and then, in the next instant, crashed into the wall. I asked Dan if that kind of thing happens often on the racing circuit. “Oh yes,” he said. “Guys in their cars get into a spin, get bumped, and they see that wall coming! I’ll tell you, there’s one thing they’re trained to do. They must not look at that wall. Their training tells them to keep their eyes on the track, and steer out of the spin. If they look at the wall, they’ll freeze. Your body just reacts — you can’t help it. The answer is to concentrate every nerve on steering toward that open space.”

That answer really spoke to me. Because lately I’ve been experiencing an unusual amount of aches and pains, and it’s had me thinking about . . .the wall. It’s not going to get easier, Joni. Old age is coming faster than you realize, and boy, you’d better brace for an impact. As a result of my fears, I’ve “frozen up” at times, worrying about the future and its problems rather than the present and its opportunities.

Paul writes, “Set your heart on things above,” and the Gospels say, “Lift up your head, for your salvation draws nigh.” It’s advice worth following . . . or you just might hit the wall.

Lord Jesus, sometimes my life situation makes me afraid. I feel panic rising, my mind locks up, and my fears loom like a large wall. As best I can today, Lord, I will fix my eyes on you, and not on my problems and fears.