Look Up
“Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.”
Colossians 3:2 - MSG
Ducks and geese abound in our little pond. And occasionally a great blue heron visits as well. They are all beautiful and graceful in their own right, and I stand in awe and wonder as they all take off and fly above. My eyes are pulled upward as they fly away from the pond in their own majestic beauty.
There’s another thing that pulls my eyes upward as well, at least my spiritual eyes. It’s the gentle nudge in the words in today’s verse. It feels almost like there’s a hand beneath my chin, lifting my face so I can see what I’ve been missing.
The Message Bible captures it beautifully: don’t live with your eyes glued to the ground, tangled in whatever is loud, urgent, or stressful today. Look up. Lift your thoughts. Shift your focus.
When those ducks take flight, everything else seems to fade for a moment. My attention simply follows them upward. Perhaps that’s part of what Paul is inviting us to do with the things of God.
We’re not to ignore life or pretend our responsibilities don’t exist. But the invitation to us is to choose where our mind rests. To choose where our hearts settle. To choose to be alert to what Jesus is doing. Because the truth is simple: whatever holds your attention will eventually shape your heart.
“Things above” aren’t abstract or unreachable. They’re the very qualities God plants in us—love that doesn’t keep score, kindness that slows down long enough to notice someone’s need, forgiveness that loosens the grip of old wounds, selflessness that reflects Jesus Himself. These are eternal things. They last. They matter. They bear fruit long after the moment has passed.
But “earthly things” tug at us too. Worry whispers. Stress tightens. The desire for more—more success, more control, more comfort—can quietly consume our thoughts. And when our minds settle there, our hearts follow. Anxiety grows. Pride grows. Greed grows. The soil gets crowded.
Our encouragement today is a reminder that is both simple and powerful: you can choose where you continually turn your thoughts. Each morning, you can aim your mind toward God’s truth instead of today’s pressure. You can feed your spirit instead of your stress. You can ask, Does this decision reflect what lasts forever—or just what feels urgent right now?
Looking up is a daily choice. And every time you make it, heaven’s perspective begins to steady your steps again. Today let’s look to the heavens. Let’s look to the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, help me lift my thoughts toward You today. Clear the clutter that pulls my mind downward. Teach me to value what lasts, to choose what reflects Your heart, and to set my mind on the things above—where Christ is, and where my true life is found.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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