Empty-Field Myopia

A recipe for a crash

I have a friend who’s a pastor and a pilot. He was talking about something the eyes do called Empty-Field Myopia. If our eyes don’t have a something to focus on they naturally rest. The eye at rest focuses about six feet out.

For a pilot this can be deadly for obvious reasons. 

Six feet. About the distance to your feet. Staring at the ground in front of you. Shuffling along.

It’s a spiritual condition too, this tendency toward near-sightedness. He think just of the current complaint, or need. The Apostle Paul call us to raise our sights to something higher. 

Hebrews 12

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

So we do that now. We fix our eyes on Jesus. Otherwise, we stare at our feet.