If there’s one thing the enemy of our soul loves to do, it’s to wear us out. (Daniel 7:25). He loves to steal the peace that we have when we rest in God’s love, goodness, and faithfulness!
We need to protect our energy and mental health by practicing and getting good at learning to look and live, redirecting our attention from bad to good to where it eventually becomes so habitual that it’s our normal response when the enemy tries to cover us with thick dark clouds.
By looking and living, the sun of righteousness will come with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2-4) pushing back the clouds of darkness that the enemy seeks to envelop us with, blocking our view from the sun of righteousness. As Helen Lemmel who was inspired by the poem of Lilias Trotter, penned in her song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”..
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace”
Pain and trials demand our attention, but there’s one who deserves our attention even more than the bad things in life and that’s God and his goodness, being grateful for his faithfulness in our lives and all the good he bestows upon us each day!
Focusing on the good isn’t ignoring our issues and I do not for a minute promote toxic positivity. We need to acknowledge our issues and work through them, but then we should redirect our attention to the good. This will help us become immune to the serpent’s venom of life adversities he injects us with!
By redirecting our attention to the good, and taking our eyes off the bad our body will release neurochemicals oxytocin, serotonin, etc. that will blunt our body’s stress response and will stop stress hormones from being pumped into our body.
If we’re focused on negative things, then our body is going to think that it’s in a life-or-death situation and will start pumping out stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline which will make us feel anxious and depressed.
But if we instead behold good things, our body will release oxytocin and serotonin and these will blunt our stress response keeping them from being released as much, giving us resilience.
Too, walking in the spirit vs. the flesh laying aside the heavy weight of sin and the woe and unrest it brings to our lives, because unbelief makes the heaviness of life even heavier than it has to be.
Hebrews 12:1-2
12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I leave you with the life-giving promises of Helen’s song, Turn your eyes upon Jesus. May it give life to your soul and uplift you from the heaviness of life’s trials.
“O soul are you weary and troubled
No light in the darkness you see
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace
His word shall not fail you he promised
Believe him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace
O soul are you weary and troubled
No light in the darkness you see
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace”
Beautiful and inspiring words of wisdom and truth ❤️