Moving Targets
“He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
Last week, I decided to give online dating another shot. I picked a website I hadn’t used before and created a profile. I vowed that this time it would be different from all my previous ventures. I vowed that I would be 100% myself, that I wouldn’t hide anything, and that I would resist the temptation to check it 10x a day.
Ha! Yeah, right. The fact is: online dating is hard. We’re all playing the game, but no one knows the rules. Is it okay to reach out first or is that too forward? Do you write a lot or just a little? Do you have the right number of selfies to full length pictures to friend pictures? Is there just one, tiny, random part of my profile that could throw off the perfect man? The list goes on. Here’s the crux - online dating is messy, and every single person that reads your profile wants something different from you.
The only way to survive is to keep your eyes on Jesus.
Whether we’re talking about online dating or something else - when I start second-guessing and doubting myself, Jesus isn’t the problem. When I go down the rabbit hole, it’s because my eyes aren’t fixed on Him. My value and worth can’t come from the moving targets that distract me from Jesus; it has to come from Him. Sisters, today’s Gospel demonstrates the importance of keeping our eyes on Christ because it was in watching Jesus break the bread that He was made known to His disciples - and it is the same with us.
When we take our eyes off of Jesus, we miss the ways that He’s revealing Himself to us. He makes Himself available to us at every moment, but sometimes we’re too busy looking at ourselves or at the moving targets in our lives - a man, a promotion, a new house, etc…. Sisters, He’s the one who tells us what we’re worth. He’s the one who reminds us who we are. We can’t afford to look away. So ask yourself, what are the moving targets that I’m focused on? And how can I shift my focus back to Jesus?
Father,
Thank You for revealing Yourself to us over and over. Thank You for patiently showing us who You are - and doing it again if we miss it the first time. Thank You for always bringing us back into Your gaze, into the fold.
Jesus, teach us how to keep our eyes on You. Remind us throughout the day to look for You and to watch. Help us to mark You during the day - to know where You are in the room and what You’re doing. Help us to lift our eyes off of ourselves and the moving targets in our lives so we can put them back on You.
God, we love You. Reveal Yourself to us once more. Amen.