2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Fear Factor. If you haven't seen it, it's probably because you've heard about the show and chosen not to get the images in your head. If that's the case, you are a much wiser person than me, let me just say that. Last night, I sat for an hour and watched the infamous show. Now, I haven't seen it in years, but truly, not much has changed. In fact, the episode I watched was rather mild compared to some of the brutal ones I've seen before. (Mostly because there was no disgusting bug eating taking place.)
Task number one last night seemed pretty simple. I watched as the contestants jumped from a helicopter to hit a target of cardboard boxes in the water. Now, not to downplay the "Fear Factor" because some people are afraid of heights, but for me, it actually looked like a real thrill. (I have a life dream of skydiving some day, but my husband won't let me. He tries to tell me something about needing a wife...) Yes, maybe for some contestants the task would be difficult, but I think I could do that one!
The final challenge seemed fairly easy as well. It was all a matter of timing and mind over matter. The contestants had to lay in a glass tube that filled up with water. They didn't know when it would become completely full, and they had to time their breath intake so that they breathed in just before the tank was full. In the end, the contestant who held their breath the longest became the "Fear Factor Champion" for the week, winning $50,000.
But it was the second task the contestants faced that I want to focus on. For challenge number two, each contestant had to sit with their head in a glass box, completely immobile, for three minutes. No big deal, right? The problem is that while they sat completely still, one hundred venomous tarantulas crawled over their head and face. They were given only goggles, nothing to protect their nostrils, and nothing to keep the furry legs out of their mouth. (And trust me, I saw them up close; they had more hair on them then Samson before hanging with Delilah!) Plus, the contestants still had to find a way to breathe with those creepy crawlers all over their head and face. For me, that's when fear would set in. I sat there watching with this strange sick feeling in my stomach. How could they do that? Could I do that? Maybe if it was for the win, $50,000, maybe, I could do that. But this was just for a chance to get to the finals. No. If you know me, I'm afraid of anything that is creepy, crawly, or hairy...let alone all three. Maybe it's because my brother repeatedly tormented me growing up, chasing me around the house with a dead spider in his hands...I am not sure. However, one thing is for sure, I could not sit still with one hundred tarantulas crawling over my head. Not for one minute, and definitely not for three.
The show interviewed each contestant after the task, and by the way, not one of them failed, not even the women. Each contestant had a similar theme in the answer of how they did it. They sat in the box and mentally pictured themselves in another place. They fixed their mind not on what was seen, but what was unseen. They knew what they were seeing and experiencing was temporary, and that's how they made it through.
I thought about that in the context of this verse. Paul had faced trials, yet his sufferings didn't stop him from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. He knew his body was wasting away, but he chose not to dwell on that. He chose to dwell on the eternal matters, the things he had faith would take place, even though he couldn't see them with earthly eyes. Those Fear Factor contestants focused on the ultimate prize of $50,000. We, too, should focus on our finish line and prize - eternal life with Christ.
Sometimes it's really easy to focus on the current circumstances of today. For me, it seems to be an ongoing struggle. I give it over to God, I settle it, once and for all. Then after a few weeks, it's like the issues I'm struggling with get legs and walk right back into my life. I don't try to take them back and start focusing on them again. It just happens. And then I find myself talking things over with God all over again. In reality, what happens? I start fixing my eyes on what I see, instead of having God-like faith in what I can't see.
Now, I do believe I have a strong faith in God. I know He's in control of all things. But I also know I am human, and sin creeps in without me even realizing it, sometimes. If you're honest with yourself, you'd probably admit the same from time to time. The verse reminds me this week that my focus and faith needs to be on the eternal. I need to stop worrying and being afraid of the present, because "this too shall pass." Verse seventeen, the one just before the verse to memorize pretty much says it all, too: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
That's what I want. Eternal glory. I didn't even plan it, but last week's verse said the same thing. "And the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ..." (I Peter 5:10) I want so desperately to wear the glasses of faith to look past today into what really matters - eternity. And that means remembering to tell others about Christ at every opportunity. That means making a difference for Christ today. That means impacting the next generation for Him.
Yesterday in my quiet time, the Lord impressed these words on my heart:
My life is an open book
Take me, Lord, have a look
Change me from the inside out
Teach me what it's all about
To live a life of praise for You
Sometimes I just have no clue
Erase the mistakes. Rewrite my page.
Mold my life into a life of praise.
Lord, help me to forget about the tarantulas crawling on my head. Get rid of the fear factor, so that I can focus on what really matters - having a life of praise for you, one that impacts your kingdom for eternity.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com