Focal Point

“You remain the same, and Your years will never end.” - Psalm 102:27

Have you ever watched a ballerina spin? It is breathtaking to watch. All dancers use a technique called spotting in order to continuously spin. To spot, the dancer focuses her eyes on one object – a picture on the wall, a nail, or anything in front of her that will not move as she turns. Once her eyes are focused on only that object she slowly begins to turn. At each turn, she spots the object.  With training and practice, the dancer learns to speed up and add more turns.

But a recent study suggests that it isn’t the spotting technique alone that enables dancers to pirouette like they do. The study compared the brains of ballet dancers to other female athletes of similar ages and fitness levels. It showed that the cerebral cortex – the part of the brain responsible for the perception of dizziness – was smaller in the dancers’ brains. It was concluded that the brains of the ballet dancers adapted over years of training to suppress the sensory input from the vestibular organs in the inner ear, thus making dancers more resistant to feeling dizzy.

Now, what does all of this have to do with us non-dancers, you might be wondering. The circumstances of our lives will always be in constant motion, spinning and moving and sometimes seemingly spinning out of control. It is impossible to stay put. We must move and go through these different seasons of life – whether we like it or not. So how do we keep from being tossed and turned and thrown off course? Just like a dancer, we must have a focal point.

Just a dancer returns her eyes to the spot she has chosen, as Christ followers we must continuously fix our focus on Jesus. He is the only constant in our lives. He is the only guarantee that we have. When circumstances change, He remains the rock and foundation on which we build our lives. He is how we aren’t overcome by circumstances, no matter how hard they may be.

And perhaps, just as a dancer’s brain might adapt over time to resist dizziness, our hearts might be transformed as we continually train ourselves to focus on Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being the constant anchor in my life. I know that no matter what happens, You will never change, never leave me, and never let me down. Please help me to keep my focus on You, no matter my circumstances. In Jesus’ name, amen.