Turn Your Eyes on Jesus and Off of Yourself (Includes my Poem "No Cure?")

Turn Your Eyes on Jesus and Off of Yourself (Includes my Poem "No Cure?")

While I am mostly an upbeat person and very rarely get down, I still have phases where I focus too much on me. It was one of these rare, but recent sleepless hours of self-deprecation a few nights ago that is inspiring this blog. It is so easy for us to get caught up in all the things we have failed at, the lack of skills/talents we possess, physical ailments/limitations, and even past mistakes. 

Let me address the last part of that sentence first.  It is very important that we feel remorse for our sins, but once we ask God to forgive us, we need to trust His Word is true that He forgives out sins when we ask Him to. 

(Psalm 103:11-13) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Therefore, our repented of sins are under the blood, so once we sincerely ask God's forgiveness, we need to move on and quit beating ourselves up over the issue.

(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Those two verse alone (and there are many more in the Bible that tell us God graciously forgives us) will hopefully help you quit focusing on your past mistakes and more on how you can keep your future actions pure before the Lord.  However, it is still a good idea to remember the past for the sake of keeping yourself from repeating the same mistakes.  

It is not healthy, however, to spend so much time on issues that drag down our self-esteem. 

My message today is a very simple one, but I just wanted to encourage all of you who struggle with self-doubt. When I find myself trapped in feeling inadequate, I pray.  This can sometimes be hard to do if I am in a bad mood because Satan likes to add fuel to my fire and try to trick me that God doesn't really care about me.  Satan doesn't want any of us to pray and turn our focus on Jesus, but to stay in perpetual states of self-dislike.  That's why we must learn to recognize these low points as spiritual attacks and turn our eye on Jesus!  Remind yourself that Jesus loves you and wants the best for you.  You are a child of the King of Kings, and you are precious in His sight!

I know I will probably never accomplish anything as grand as I once dreamed for my life, but I should not consider myself a failure in the eyes of the Lord. Accepting His free gift of salvation, loving Him in return, and living for Him are the biggest successes I can ever have. They are worth celebrating and should always cancel out any negative opinions I have on nonspiritual issues about myself.

Also, I struggle with some physical conditions that are very difficult at times not just for the pain and weakness I experience, but because it can also wreak havoc on my spiritual emotions as well.  I find myself not feeling wonderfully made.  But again, I remind myself that I am loved by God and when I get to heaven, this inadequate body will be perfect, and I will run into the arms of Jesus with no pain or weakness!

If you truly feel your life is lacking direction, pray and ask God to help you know how and where to better serve Him rather than focusing on what you think may be your limitations.  God can use anyone at any age or ability.  Ask Him to open the doors you are incapable of opening.  Serving others is another wonderful way to take our thoughts from our own egos and care more about what others are going through.

Maybe not an overly profound message today and I realize there is a lot more I could say, but just remember to put the devil in his place when you are feeling tempted to call yourself bad names.  Turn your eyes on Jesus and off of yourself.  Read you Bible and remind yourself just how much Jesus loves you.  

I am not a very good poet, but here is a poem I wrote in 2025 that matches today's theme.  After that I posted a beautiful version of the song, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" written by Helen Howarth Lemmel.

This poem is based off a real experience of feeling devastated after my doctor told me the pain and weakness in my body will never improve and will probably only get worse.  He was very blunt in telling me treatments would not help and the best I could hope for was to try to manage my symptoms as best as possible.  You can see my reaction by reading the poem.  

What is also true is that I had requested my Echo speaker to play music by The Gaither Vocal Band right before the doctor had called me.  I had walked out of the room to take the call (I often request phone appointments to receive medical results, so I don't have to waste gas going back to the doctor's office), and when I went back into the bedroom, the music was still playing.   It had already been a physically difficult day, and now my head was reeling after the conversation.  I was trying to simply change my sheets, but my body was rebelling, so I literally laid on the floor crying as pain was making it difficult to move.  The songs sung by one of my favorite groups truly washed over me in such a wave of God's comfort and love that by the fourth or fifth song, I was feeling emotionally, mentally, and spiritually strong in the power of Jesus!  

Yes, the Word of God should be our number one source of Biblical encouragement, but God also truly uses Godly men and women to write, sing, and play instruments that can minister to a hurting soul.  I am very grateful for such writers and musicians!

(1 John 1:3) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

No Cure? (2025)

Perhaps not the worst words one can hear,

But certainly ones that elicit fear,

“There is no cure for you,

Treatments won’t help much,

And you will only get worse.”

Panic. 

Hopelessness. 

Self-pity.

Tears.  

As I lay on the floor,

In too much pain to move,

And too distressed to breathe,

My heart cries for a song,

More than my broken body needs,

My soul craves healing.

I let the music play,

Surrounded by songs I love,

Resounding in a not-so-random order,

As if God planned this play list just for me,

To remind me of all that Jesus is.

Pain taker.

Mountain mover.

Path straightener.

Joy giver.

The songs continue to bless me,

To strengthen me,

To remember that some mountains are necessary,

And that God is always with me;

May I never forget I am a child of the King!

No cure for this mortal body,

But Jesus is the remedy for my immortal soul,

His blood has healed my sin-sick spirit,

His medicine I want to take daily,

To stay clean, joyful, and whole.

Peaceful.

Forgiven.

Loved.

Royalty.

His love has cured my despair,

His mercy has inspired my actions,

I desire only to live for Him,

And though I may be crooked in body,

I can forever soar in my soul!