A man and his son were playing in the snow one day. Pointing to a tree off in the distance, the father said, “Son, let’s have a contest. We will both walk straight toward that tree. The contest is not to see who gets there first. Rather, the winner is the one who can have the straightest path in the snow.”
The son agreed, and the father said, “Go.” As each one moved closer and closer to the tree, the son carefully placed one foot in front of the other. He watched his feet closely to make sure each step was exactly in line. He didn’t rush. He stepped. Analyzed. Stepped. Verified. Stepped. On and on.
When the boy finally reached the tree, his father was already there waiting for him. As the son glanced back at the two paths, he noticed that his path snaked through the snow. His father’s path, on the other hand, looked straight as an arrow. Dumbfounded, the son questioned, “I don’t understand. I took my time. I watched each and every step. Yet, my path was crooked. Why?”
The father responded, “Son, to keep your path straight, don’t watch where you step. Keep your eye on the goal.”
What a paradox: when we walk step by step, focusing on our feet, we often stumble. But when we take our eyes off our steps and fix them on the goal, we can walk a straight and narrow path. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Paul said, “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14).
Prayer: Father, as I focus my eyes upon Jesus and follow him in all my ways, make my footsteps straight–a perfect path to peace.
P.S. My son, Caleb, and I made a video about this message. If you would like to see it, you can click here to view the video message.
