Day 24 - Lent 2026

WHAT’S GOT YOUR GAZE?

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

Have you ever noticed how easily your eyes get pulled in a hundred directions? One minute you’re checking an email, the next you’re deep in someone’s vacation photos, and suddenly you’re staring into the refrigerator like it holds the answers to life. Our eyes wander, and whatever captures our gaze often captures our thoughts, emotions, and eventually our choices. Just like voices compete for our ears, images and distractions compete for our eyes. They want attention and more importantly, influence. What we consistently look at shapes what we desire, what we fear, and what we pursue.

Scripture urges us to guard our vision. Psalm 101:3 states “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” And Psalm 119:18 states “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things…” Some of us have been staring too long at the wrong things — the news, the drama, the comparison, the uncertainty. No wonder our peace feels thin. Lent invites us to redirect our gaze. To look away from what drains us and look toward the One who restores us. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, distractions fade, clarity returns, and hope grows brighter.

And that’s why the hymn still speaks with prophetic clarity: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of the world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” The things that occupy our mind and time will dim — not disappear — just lose their power to overwhelm. When Jesus becomes our focus, everything else finds its proper place. When we turn our eyes toward Him, He turns His face toward us with mercy. When we lift our head, He lifts our heart. When we look up, He brings us out.

So ask yourself: What’s got my gaze? And today, turn your eyes; lift your head; look up again. Because the God who sees you is the God who forgives you. The God who watches you is the God who welcomes you. And the God whose eyes never leave you is inviting you to fix your eyes on Him.

Let us pray:

Father, thank You for being the Light that brings clarity and peace. Help us guard what we place before our eyes. During this Lenten journey, redirect our focus. Teach us to fix our eyes on Jesus and see our lives through the lens of Your grace. Your face, Lord, we will seek. Let everything else grow strangely dim in the light of Your glory and grace. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

SUBMITTED BY ELDER APRYL REDWOOD