I’ve spent a lot of my life watching and playing football. For the uninitiated, football can appear a chaotic string of brute force collisions; but to those who truly know what they are looking at, football is sophisticated and complex. Unlike sports such as soccer and basketball, which thrive on a certain level of individual improvisation; football relies on a series of scripted techniques performed in concert. In this way, football is perhaps more like a choreographed ballet than it is like most other sports.
Each player has a role on each play, and in most cases, the other players on the field not only do not know the technique of the other players, they often cannot even summarize their teammate’s roles. Offensive lineman work together to account for the front seven players on defense, but very few could articulate the wide receiver route patterns on a given pass concept. Corner backs are very often locked into a one on one battle with a single receiver play after play with their backs to the rest of the field, and only after watching the game film could they really tell you much about a game in which they played a pivotal role. Even quarterbacks, responsible for orchestrating complex offensive schemes, must focus only on their technique and reads if they are to be successful.
In order for the team to succeed, each player must employ a technique called “eye discipline.” Eye discipline refers to a player’s ability to focus their vision and attention on only their responsibilities while exercising a level of trust that their teammates are doing the same. Many of the mistakes we all witness watching football at every level from high school to the NFL are the simple result of poor eye discipline. A defensive back gets caught looking in the backfield as a receiver slips behind them…a quarterback is looking at the blitzing linebacker and cannot see his receiver breaking open…a linebacker doesn’t track a motioning running back and fills the wrong gap. Simply; teams with poor eye discipline cannot be expected to win games.
Learning the power of eye discipline is not just for football players. It is an essential skill for a successful life, especially for those of us who are people of faith. Let’s explore a few examples from the Scripture concerning where we are to train our eyes:
Look to Jesus
One of my absolute favorite scriptures is Hebrews 12:1-3. I love it so much I had it tattooed on my calf. It says, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so you do not grow weary or fainthearted.”
What a powerful reminder in the midst of our adversity that our task is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. The author of Hebrews says that those who lose their eye discipline and take their eyes off of Jesus risk weariness and may not be able to stave off the temptation to quit. When people come to me in crisis, which happens quite a bit; I can often tell who will persevere and who won’t simply by whether or not they are maintaining their focus on Jesus.
Look to the harvest
John 4:35 offers this counsel on eye discipline: “Look, I tell you. Lift up your eyes and see that the fields are already white for harvest.”
One of the easiest ways to exercise poor eye discipline is to take our eyes off of the harvest. Losing sight of the harvest is understandable but not acceptable. We can understand why a quarterback with a defensive end bearing down on them loses eye discipline, but it is his responsibility to keep his eyes downfield and deliver a catchable ball whether or not he will be hit in the process. Similarly, it is the job of believers to “look over” the pressing adversity bearing down on us to deliver our time, energy, and resources to those in need.
As a quarterback, there is absolutely no better feeling then the moment right after standing in and taking a big shot as you let go of the ball, when you look around the defender that just smoked you to see that your receiver caught your pass and is heading for the end zone. That may sound crazy, but I live for those moments.
Look inside
The Psalmist offers this powerful prayer in Psalm 139:23: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
After we look up to God and out to the harvest, we are also told to look inside our hearts. When I was young in ministry, I spent quite a lot of time thinking about the hearts and lives of others. These days, I spend a bit more time looking inside to ensure that the Gospel is taking root in my own heart. This is not to say that I am unconcerned about the lives of others; more so that I influence others better to the degree that I tend to my own heart.
Of course this is not an exhaustive list, but it is important to note that at no point are believers encouraged to train their eyes on their problems or in envy of their neighbors or in frustration about their circumstances. These are all examples of poor eye discipline, and each leads down a tough road of decreasing freedom and joy.
So, as you are reflecting on your life this next week, make time to inspect your eye discipline. If you are like me, you may find it plays a much bigger role in your endeavors than you previously realized.
I hope this is helpful for you. I am going to be writing a bit more in the coming weeks both as a matter of my own personal discipleship and also in hopes to be a blessing to the many people in whose lives God has given us some influence. If you enjoy these posts, please share them and let us know.
Also, we are very actively building our Discipletrek teams for the upcoming 2023 season, including a trip back to Annapurna Base Camp in March, a trip to Iceland in July, and many many more. We would love it if you considered joining one of our adventure teams.
