The Point on the Horizon

If you ask a farmer how he ensures that he is plowing a straight furrow, he will give you this advice: Fix your eyes straight ahead on some fixed point on the horizon—a tree perhaps—and keep moving steadily toward it. Don’t watch the furrow. Just keep your hands on the plow and your eyes on that fixed point.
—Margaret Silf, Inner Compass, 37

So many things change, it seems like life is in constant flux. Everything seems out of control, as in the W. B. Yeats poem,

Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
the falcon cannot hear the falconer.
Things fall apart. The center cannot hold;
mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

Depression, anxiety, confusion, despair—all are characterized by a loss of focus, or, rather, focusing on something less than ultimate. To have a healthy spiritual life, it helps to focus not only on a fixed point, but on the right fixed point. Wealth, health, happiness—these are all fine goals for life. But none is ultimately the right point.

What is the fixed point in your life? Family can seem fixed, and it’s true, you can’t change how you were raised or to whom you were born. But those are fixed points in the past. What fixed point is in front of you? Where do you fix your eyes so that the furrow you plow is straight?

Margaret Silf says this: “Jesus is our fixed point. He is at the head of each of our personal lines of oxen teams. It is his risen life and energy that provide the power for our every movement.” I believe she’s right. When I fix my eyes on the horizon, I see the overflowing love and grace of God before me. Fixing my eyes on Jesus I manage to stay on track.

Along the Way, I wish you God’s peace on today’s stage of your Lenten spiritual journey. May Christ’s companionship bless you with confidence for the day, comfort you in trouble, and put a spring of joy in your step.